Silver Haired Beauty
by Bakani Banana
Summary: The halls of the mansion are abuzz with the news. Lord Sesshomaru is to wed! But why is Inuyasha so upset? Who is the woman their father is hanging out with? What is up with the green girl?
1. Announcements!

Present

"Ooh! What a beautiful day!"

Throwing the curtains aside, a lovely young woman stared in rapt wonder at the world beyond her window. Sparkling slate blue eyes drank in the beauty of nature around her. The sun shone across the open meadow surrounding the secluded cottage she shared with her extended family. Finger-combing her silky mass of waist length black hair, she scanned the invisible border formed by the lush green forest. Small rabbits sprang from cover to cover, testifying to the vitality of their wooded home. Kagome Higurashi tilted her head back, inhaling the cool fresh air.

She would have been content to stay there all say, simply basking in the verdant beauty, but today was important. A bright smile lit her young face.

Today, she had someplace special to be.

PROLOGUE

"I am to do what, father?" Calm and smooth as a lake in winter, the voice barely rose above a whisper to ask the question. The young man speaking might have been making idle comments to a stranger about the weather by the apparent lack of emotion and interest he expressed. Half-lidded yellow eyes above high cheekbones graced a face that could have been considered beautiful if the voice had not signaled a more masculine owner. With porcelain smooth skin that was nearly as pale as his flowing silver hair, he studied the richly furnished room and the only other person who occupied it with out a single emotion breaking through his mask like visage.

Seated at the opposite end of the polished wood table, sat a large man. His features closely echoed those of the speakers, but were saved from an almost unmanly beauty by having a slightly more rugged air around the jaw and eyes. Like his son, he too had long silver-white hair, but it was confined into a high ponytail. Both men watched each other with golden eyes.

If anything, the father seemed a near opposite of his son. Handsome and expressive, the other man was eating his morning meal with decided relish. "You are to be married in one month Sesshomaru. I have already taken the liberty of choosing a bride for you." Deep and rich, his words fairly bristled in challenge, daring his eldest son to defy him. "You will meet her today, as will Inuyasha and Kagome."

At the casual mention of his younger half brother and new human mate, an emotion did creep subtly into that silky smooth voice. Disgust. "Why are the bastard and his human bitch coming?" he queried, as a plate was set before him by one of numerous and as far as he was concerned, nameless servants. "I do not see how their presence would be beneficial in the least." He nimbly placed a few steamed buns on his plate.

Lord Yamatsu sighed. He really did not understand Sesshomaru. The boy's mother Haniko had been a gentle and sweet-tempered woman, who had shared to a certain extent the respect and fondness he felt for humans. Therefore, the old lord could not figure out his eldest son's extreme antipathy for them. Even poor Ukiyo, his human second wife, had been greeted by her stoic stepson with barely concealed disdain.

As for the relationship between the two brothers... He gave a low snort. Well, someday one of them might grow up. The Demon Lord of the West looked across the long table laden with succulent dishes in silent contemplation. Picturing the bride he had chosen, he wondered if he should tell his son...no. Let the boy learn the hard way.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and calmly drank his tea. From his indifferent response to the announcement of his impending nuptials, he might have been told what dinner would be that night. Many people, especially his idiot half brother, would have been stunned at the flurry of emotions racing through his private thoughts.

'He wants me to WHAT!? Oh gods!! I'm only three hundred and ten. Waaaaay too young to be hitched to some crazy youkai out to make a name for herself as the future Lady of the West! Hey, this bun is burnt! How in the hell do you burn a _steamed _bun!? Why do I have to get married anyway?' Pale brows dipped a fraction in a mild frown. 'I know that somehow this whole thing is Inuyasha's fault. Ever since that hanyou got together with that girl Kagome, the old man's been sniffing around for grandkids.'

His mood soured by both his musings and the bun, Sesshomaru ate the fish instead. Resisting the urge to sigh aloud, he contented himself with a slow, soothing breath. 'I wonder what dried up old maid the mighty Lord of the West had chosen for his first born?' he thought ruefully. Snow could have gotten frostbite from the chill overshadowing his words as he spoke to question his sire.

"Who or what am I to be wed to father?"

Yamatsu leaned forward and gave his son a smile that had caused many an army to surrender without a fight.

"Just wait and see, son."


	2. Week One: Day One

Week One:

Day One: Morning

"Why in the fuck do I have to go?"

Surly and slightly petulant, the young man looked pointedly at the object of his interrogation. Kagome gave a sigh of the long suffering before replying, "Because your father invited us Inuyasha." She placed the food for breakfast on the table, sat down and started to eat. Not more than a bite got to her lips before her bowl was snatched away by a clawed hand. 

"Hey!! Give that back!" dark eyes flashing, she huffed irritably at her tormentor. A smirk, marred only by the twitch of a genuine smile at the corner of his mouth, greeted her. Boyishly handsome, the bowl snatcher regarded her with affection and more than a little amusement. Two fuzzy white triangles on top of his head twisted around to better catch the frustrated little noises she made while trying to reach for her bowl. The hand holding it hostage danced just out of reach as a pair of honey gold eyes watched her closely.

Her eyes fell on the necklace of polished blue stones hanging around his neck. 'One little 'Sit', he'd be face down and I could eat!' Unfortunately, she really couldn't. Some days, Kagome wished she hadn't made the promise to herself about not using the rosary so much. Ever since moving into the cottage, she had tried to resolve any conflicts that arose by talking to her beloved instead of sending him crashing into the ground. With another huff, she narrowed her eyes. 'Promises suck sometimes.'

"Look Kagome, I'm not too crazy about my old man and I sure as fuck hate my fruity ass half brother, so why are we really going?" That golden gaze was piercing, "Especially today." When she flushed guiltily at the reminder of the new moon that night, he smirked triumphantly, revealing small white fangs. The bowl slammed back in front of her without a drop being spilt. 

Satisfied that he was going to at last get a real explanation, he proceeded to lay down beside the table and munch on a steamed bun. "Feh, I knew something stunk about this whole thing." Those exotic golden eyes closed while he ate, "The timing was way too fucked up to be a coincidence." Dark brows met as he put another bun in his mouth, mumbling sourly around the doughy mass, "What'd the old fart promise you to make you even consider asking me to go within ten feet of those two, especially knowing what'll happen tonight?"

He was referring to the new moon. A time when his half youkai heritage disappeared and left him completely human, and in his mind, completely vulnerable. He knew for a fact that his half brother Sesshomaru would jump at the chance to rip him apart. Inuyasha flexed a clawed hand thoughtfully. 'At least like this I can defend myself against that eye-shadowed idiot.' However, that didn't answer the question.

Still not looking at him as she ate, Kagome replied demurely, "Nothing."

Her sudden meekness caused the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Kagome was many things, but timid wasn't one of them. The hanyou swallowed quickly and growled low in his throat, "Kagome......I am not in the mood for dad's shit today, so spit it the fuck out!"

Promises of lingering pain shone from the blue-gray eyes peering over the rim of a bowl, "If I tell you, promise me you won't do something stupid."

Brushing back a strand of snow white hair, Inuyasha made a rude noise, "Yeah, yeah, yeah....I promise."

"On your mother's grave?"

That got his attention. Propping himself up on his elbows, he studied the girl sitting calmly at the low table. After two months of living together in the feudal era, he'd come to learn more and more about Kagome's subconscious body language and right now, she practically reeked of apprehension. 'What's got her up in a huff?' Not wanting to appear cowed, he stretched back out and barked sharply, "I said yeah, didn't I? But this shit had better be good to pull my mother into it."

Closing her eyes, she cheerfully informed him, "We're going to have a luncheon to meet your brother's new fiancée!"

Silence, thick and resplendent greeted her announcement. Honestly, Kagome had expected derisive laughter or at least a few well crafted rude comments. Opening her eyes, she shrieked and fell over backwards, "INUYASHA!!!"

In the course of her words, Inuyasha had somehow managed to get from being stretched flat on the floor to perched hawk-like on the table without a sound being made. As she got her pounding heart back under control, she noted that he was staring intently down at her with an unreadable expression. Flat and displaced as a mannequin, she couldn't figure out what it meant, but it sent a shiver down her spine just looking at it.

"Inuyasha?" The note of uncertainty, which crept into her voice, irritated her. 'After all this time fighting demons and everything else, I am not a coward who gets worked up over every little thing!' Dull gold eyes continued to watch her unseeingly, 'Especially not from him.' Determination straightened her spine as she dusted herself off to frown at him even though he just kept looking at her with that same strange look.

"Oi, Inuyasha!" Nothing. Starting to get worried, Kagome reached out to touch him. A rough whisper froze her hand mid-reach.

"Get dressed."

Stung by the harsh tone, she jumped. Still unable to fully read his expression, she was momentarily unsure of how to proceed. That hesitation made her angry. "You promised not to do something stupid Inuyasha, and scaring me is some..."

"Get dressed now Kagome!!" the roar practically rattled the house to its foundation, effectively overriding the rest of her outburst. His face didn't alter as he stood and walked out the door without so much as a backwards glance. Kagome scrambled after him, both to question him further and to hit him if need be. He had disappeared by the time she got to the threshold. 'Damn you Inuyasha.' Hot tears coursed down her face as her throat tightened. 'Just when I think I know you, you go and become a total baka.'

Hurt and angry by the abrupt departure, she was shaken out of her reverie by a piping voice."

"The big dummy made you cry again, didn't he?" Sullen and small, the question pulled her thoughts back to the present.

A little gasp of surprise escaped her as she rubbed furiously at her eyes. When most of the offending moisture was gone, she turned and gave Shippo a watery smile. "He's just a big jerk sometimes." the barb was slightly pathetic for its obvious lack of force, "Especially in the morning."

The little red haired boy simply watched her with large sad blue eyes. If he didn't know how they really felt about each other, he might have been tempted to say more. As it was, the little kitsune hugged his 'mother' with all the love he could transfer with his tiny arms, and sat down to join her for breakfast.

Feeling better, Kagome returned the embrace and went to finish her meal with the only youkai she felt she could really understand.

Hair, immaculate. Shoes and clothes arranged perfectly. Hmm, tilt the angle of the swords just a bit more...ah, once again, perfect. Rubbing a lean finger over the deep purple crescent on his forehead, Sesshomaru inspected himself in the mirror once more. He absently traced the wine dark stripes that ran along both of his smooth cheeks and jaw. Striking, but not over bearing. Very nice. No, flawless.

The mirror, in it's simple but tasteful frame reflected his excellence back to him. Everything in the room was like it. Quiet, almost austere, but screaming of elegance. A faint smile touched his pale lips. Perhaps not screaming, but most definitely whispering in confidence.

"You look perfect Lord Sesshomaru, simply glorious!" Despite his honeyed words, or perhaps because of them, Jaken nervously fussed and picked at imaginary bits of lint or nonexistent strands of stray thread. Short, squat and bug eyed, the green little man bore a more than passing resemblance to a toad. "Anyone would feel honored to be chosen as the bride of the future Lord of the West, master Sesshomaru." Finally satisfied that all was truly seamless in his Lord's appearance, Jaken settled down to await a response.

"Yes."

While not the effusive reply he was looking for, Jaken was pleased none the less. It helped distract him from his own internal demons concerning the upcoming meal. As Lord Sesshomaru's personal and loyal servant, it was his job to keep his master up to date on any issue, no matter how trivial.

Such as the incident with the body markings when the young Lord had passed into maturity. Jaken had been there to talk him through it calmly and knowingly, even if he hadn't been able to do a thing about the other male youkai teasing his master for being a little too effeminate. Which was why, in the case of Lord Sesshomaru's impending nuptials, he felt the same kind of abysmal failure. He had failed his Lord, miserably.

Within one hour of Lord Yamatsu's announcement, Jaken would normally have known something, anything, hell everything about the future Lady of the West. However, he didn't. Sighing in frustration as he reset a particular fold for the hundredth time, he reviewed all the tidbits of information and scanty rumors that had circulated around the mansion all day. None of them seemed to provide a clue as to who the bride to be was. It was if she did not exist.

Not one solitary thing had been learned about her, and it hadn't been for a lack of trying.

The Lord Yamatsu had been more secretive today than Jaken could ever remember, especially when it came to the identity of the new bride. Yamatsu had locked his study, placing a magical barrier around it that would effectively vaporize anyone other than him. Jaken shifted and caught sight of the singed edge of his full sleeves. Yeah, the barrier was up and running quite nicely.

Then there was that slathering pack of ferocious demon dogs that had accompanied Lord Yamatsu when he'd gone to retrieve the girl that morning. Brainless and loyal only to their master, they had dispelled all thoughts of trailing the Lord in secret. A throbbing pain swathed in bandages lay hidden beneath his robes from where one of the faster dogs had nipped him. Yeah, the dogs were very effective as well. The fact was, everyone would be equally surprised together, because no one knew a single thing.

Finally leaving the fold alone, Jaken moved over to straighten the edge of the over robe. Any other day, sure, Jaken would have had enough information about her to fill a small library of scrolls. Not today, even his best sources couldn't turn up as much as a hair. It was a glaring failure and he'd tried vainly to hide it from his Lord with the usual incessant talking. So far, it seemed to have worked.

"Jaken...why have you not told me anything about my bride to be?"

The short youkai froze as the casual words made him break out in a cold sweat. His small heart hammered relentlessly as visions of varied and extracted means of demise flitted before his eyes like gruesome butterflies.

Well, maybe it hadn't worked as well as he had thought.

Giving a nervous cough, Jaken brushed absently at a speck on the hem of Lord Sesshomaru's robe. "Whatever do you mean my Lord?" he asked in practiced amazement. "I've been telling you about her all day long, have I not?" Speck destroyed, he stepped back and studiously avoided looking at his master.

"No you have not Jaken." Gracefully tucking a lock of silver hair behind one pointed ear, Sesshomaru serenely chewed out his servant while checking for any other imperfections in his appearance. "You have instead provided me with descriptions and personalities of at least ten different women, all of whom you claim are my bride to be."

The diminutive servant racked his fevered brain to remember what he had actually said in the myriad conversations over the course of the day. 'Was she tall or short? Which one will he prefer? I can't remember...!!!' All thoughts were cut off with a shriek as strong fingers wrapped themselves around his throat.

Hooded yellow eyes bored coldly into him as he was yanked up. "I am about to appear in a situation not of my making armed with false knowledge, which is infinitely more dangerous than no knowledge at all." Hissing with displeasure, Sesshomaru tightened his grip slowly, causing his retainer to squirm for air. "If I am made a fool today because of it, I will feed you to my father's dogs." The supple fingers released him as Sesshomaru turned and left the room.

Jaken shivered from the shock one feels in any near death experience. Panting to bring air to his tortured lungs, he tried to pick himself up. When his watery knees wouldn't support him, he fell back to the ground and wailed piteously.

He was going to die tonight.

"Slow down Inuyasha!!!" Screaming in heartfelt terror as her stomach rose in her throat, Kagome clutched tighter to the bounding hanyou's robes.

Inuyasha loved listening to Kagome's voice. It was soothing, stirring and in many cases, very arousing. However, her continuous screams in his sensitive ears was going to make him deaf. When another decibel shattering scream reverberated through his head, he yelled back "Shut the fuck up woman!" Growling a warning when she tensed to shout back, he stopped the irritated rumble when she just huffed.

Dashing onwards towards his father's estate, Inuyasha smiled as Kagome made a rude noise behind him. She'd been getting seriously pissed lately and he knew why. He'd overheard her telling Sango one night that she would try not to sit him so much. She'd even sworn a promise before the older girl.

That's when he knew he had her. 'Kagome made that promise months ago and I thought by now she'd have sat me once, but she's been trying really hard.' Remembering the way her eyes had sparkled angrily that morning, he smiled. 'I thought for sure she'd do it right then, guess not.'

By trying not to give in to the temptation to instantly subdue him, she'd instead resorted to the oldest weapon a woman had: the cold silent treatment.

His smile grew. Under any other circumstances, he would have given an apology of some sort and they'd go back to the routine of mutual quips, endearments and barbs the two of them had grown accustomed to. But not today. Oh no, definitely not today! As much as he loved her, he might drop Kagome over the nearest cliff if it meant getting to his father's mansion in time to see his bastard brother meet the new bride. A grin more feral than his full wild youkai form lit his face while his mind filled with wicked delight. He absolutely had to be there.

He knew who the bride was.

As soon as Kagome had told him that they were going to meet Sesshomaru's intended, a thought had leapt into his head. Yamatsu picking a bride for his stalwart eldest son? For some reason, only one conceivable choice for the bride had popped up. Dropping to the ground once the terrain flattened, Inuyasha leaned forward a bit more to run faster. There was no guarantee he was right, but it was such a startling idea that he'd momentarily blocked out the rest of the world that morning.

No way, there was simply no way it couldn't be her! Well, a slim chance, but something felt so right when he thought of his brother and her together. Fangs glistened white as the malevolent smile grew. No, not right. Deliciously ironic. Maybe he was wrong, but why had her name even come to him when Kagome had spoken of his father's plans? It had been too strong a hunch to just fucking ignore.

Bounding back up into the treetops, he freed a hand to slash through a lower demon. Oh, she had to be the one he was thinking about. The gods had been so stingy with the happiness in his life that he felt they damn well owed him! Trailing his father had been easy. A few chunks of rabbit over the years had created a friendly bond between him and the lower inu youkai. Keeping to the trees, Inuyasha had still been able to tell from the terrain where Yamatsu was going. After all, he'd been in that area before.

The older youkai's arrival at a sprawling house nestled just past a large waterfall had only confirmed the hanyou's suspicion. It had taken everything in his power not to laugh maniacally then and there. Granted, he would have fallen out of the tree and exposed his spying, but he actually hadn't cared.

It was too good, too perfectly fucking right! Hell, he still couldn't stop the occasional insane chortle from bubbling up as he headed for his old home. Like a dark melody, the phrase ran through his thoughts, 'I know who the bride is...' Oh happy day of days! Clutching tighter to Kagome, he willed himself not to clap like a mad monkey.

'My brother's going to shit himself and I get to watch!'

Anticipation of that blessed event had been one of two things that pulled him away from finishing what he and Kagome had started that morning. Hell, he was STILL getting his ass kicked by that part of him that wanted nothing more than to stop and continue making love to Kagome right then and there.

'After all, ' the voice purred insistently, 'you know a tree is nothing new for her. Remember that time she did that little thing to you and you snapped a trunk in half from the way it felt? Maybe she'd do it again? Or what about that other time? The noise she made right when...'

Giving his libido a vicious smack with a snarl for added measure, he pressed on faster. But the damage was done. Even now, he could feel his blood heating with the memories. 'Not the time stupid, this is so not the time!' he thought. As Kagome had stood breathless and thoroughly aroused before him that morning, the only thing that'd had the power to drag him away from her sweet lips and taking the sweeter body currently pressed against his back, had been a name.

Kuroi Hana

Kagome shielded her face from the chilly wind by burrowing further under the cover if Inuyasha's long thick hair. Being completely covered by the coarse fluffy tresses, she wasn't able to see his face. Lucky her. If she had, she might have been tempted to release the death grip she had on his haori and take her chances with gravity.

Peering through the pale strands, she marveled anew at the fleeting glimpses of the world racing past. 'It feels like flying sometimes.' she thought wonderingly. The forest around them flew by in blurs of brown and green, melting further as Inuyasha's speed increased even more. As the wind whipped a feathery soft lock of his hair along her throat, she buried her face back against his shoulder to inhale his scent. Thoughts of the morning crept to the forefront of her mind.

He'd been acting very weird that morning, even for Inuyasha. What he'd done before they left wasn't exactly normal either. Nibbling worriedly at her lip, she recounted the incident again.

When he didn't come back immediately for breakfast, she ate with Shippo and cleaned up afterwards. Inuyasha's shouted order or not, she'd still needed to get ready for the lunch with Lord Yamatsu and Sesshomaru. Only one she secretly hoped to be a future in law. Shippo had puffed up into his balloon like form and gone to spend the day with Kaede, saying he'd rather be with the old and wise than the young and stupid. Remembering the many violent encounters between the brothers, Kagome had sighed and kind of agreed with him.

Having decided on a lovely summer kimono in light colors, she'd been wrapping her obi when Inuyasha had burst in, blinking at her in surprise. They both looked at the other for a full moment before the hanyou had scowled.

"You're not done yet?" came his incredulous demand.

"If you get out I can get done!" A light pink blush had crept over her cheeks, eliciting an amused 'feh'. Instead of leaving, he came in and helped her finish. Even deftly tying the excess fabric into a turtle shaped bow. She'd smiled in delight at it and almost asked how he'd learned to do it, when the sadness gathered in his eyes.

Shrugging, he'd turned away from her to gaze out the window, not willing to meet her eyes just yet.

When he'd spoken, her heart had gone out to the lost little boy his words had invoked, "My mother sometimes needed help. The servants were youkai and didn't always treat her like the wife of the Demon Lord of the West." his smile was small and filled with a touch of the sadness and uncertainty she knew he felt from being a hanyou.

Moved by the offering of one his too few precious memories of his mother, Kagome had slipped her around him in a loving hug. His breath played across her scalp as he buried his face in her hair, breathing in her scent and returning the embrace. The feel of his whisper soft exhalations through her hair had reminded her of the one time beneath the stars where he'd told her what she smelled like to him; softness and light. Moving slightly, she's tipped back her head to study his face and found herself lost in the molten depths of his warm amber eyes instead.

"Inu..." the question was cut off with a kiss.

Sweet and hot, he had deepened it quickly. Her fingers had trailed up past his chest and dove into his hair, reveling in the touch of the soft strands even as she pulled him closer. Because she knew he liked it, and it delighted her too, she used thumbs to stroke his ears from base to tip. At that slight contact, he'd pulled her tightly against him. letting her feel exactly what it was he wanted to do with her.

Kagome had gasped into his mouth, quickly melting against him. She'd been more than willing to put their lunch plans on hold and spend the time in bed instead. From what she had felt, he'd been every bit as eager to agree with her.

When inexplicably, 'and I'm still amazed he had the control to do it.', he had broken the kiss off and pulled away from her. Panting and shaking to fight for control over her own body, there had been no energy to resist as he'd grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the house. 'There are some days I wish I was a hanyou.'

Except that now he'd been strangely quiet the whole trip. There was an ominous chuckle every now and then, but that was more disturbing than anything else. Sighing from frustration of more than one kind, she closed her eyes and relaxed against him.


	3. Week One: Day One, Night

Afternoon

Sesshomaru strode the halls of the mansion as if he owned them. Mostly because someday, he would. Hair trailing behind him in a shimmering silver banner, his coat was pressed and tucked with expert precision. It was white, like many of his clothes, accented at the sleeves and hem with lavender clouds which seem to pass over a pale yellow full moon on one shoulder. He had forgone the full armor he usually wore. After all, it wouldn't do to scare the bride witless. Besides, he still had his swords if she turned out to be violent.

The wine-red color of his upper lids could be clearly seen since he was watching the scurrying servants through half-lidded eyes. Erect and confident, every inch of him was arranged to present a picture of the knowledgeable and assured future Lord of the West.

Only his scattered thoughts belied his calm exterior.

'Even breaths. Yell at the maid for spilling the mop water when she jumped after you'd informed her about missing a spot on the floor. Turn here. Where did that awful scroll hanging come from? Note to self, have it removed and burned, then burn the one who created it and hung it up there.

'Even breaths. Second note to self: fire the cook for burning the buns this morning. Hmm, or set the cook's buns on fire as a future warning? Decisions, decisions… Down this hall. Ooh, I like that vase! Third note to self: tell Jaken to get three more just like it after you skin him alive for his failure and trying to lie to me to cover it up.

'Even breaths. There's the door. Who the hell am I about to marry!?!?'

Coming abreast of the doors leading to the dining room, he paused and took a final steadying deep breath. Feeling composed, he slid the panels aside and entered to greet his future wife.

"Greetings Lord Sesshomaru." piped an aged and cracked voice.

The first sight that met him was the round face of an elderly female youkai. Her skin was a time worn blue from which a myriad number of wrinkles bloomed like wet parchment when she gave him a pleasantly fanged smile. Dark gray hair was gathered into a loose bun on top of her head, which was itself graced by a veritable crown of small horns. Barely coming to his waist, she still wore an expressive smile even though she had to crane her neck up to give it to him.

'OH GODS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' The voice in his head screamed loud enough to almost make him wince. Almost. Smoothly, he glided over to the older woman's side and bowed regally. "Allow me to welcome you to our household."

'NONONONONOOOOOOOOOOOOONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!' screaming and clawing at the walls of his mind, the voice rose to a frenzied pitch, which he tried to ignore. "I do hope the trip was not too trying for you. I know that we live quite far from the main roads, so journeying here is often difficult." Gently patting her aged and almost brittle hand, he guided her slowly to an empty seat.

'I REPENT! FOR EVERYTHING, ANYTHING! I REPENT OF ALL MY WICKED SINS, THOUGHTS AND DEEDS, JUST NOOOOOO!' choking and crawling across the space of an imagined prison, the voice continued seeking a means of escape. Sesshomaru continued to ignore it. "Might I have the honor of knowing your name?" he inquired politely, with a distant smile on his lips as he released her arm.

'I REPENT! BY ALL MERCIFUL GODS I REPENT!!!!!' weeping in utter dejection, the ignored voice fell to silence in a corner.

"Wow, he sure grovels well for a blue blood!" The highly amused voice came from another part of the table. Golden eyes flickered up to see a lovely young woman shake her head sadly before she took a large swig straight from a bottle of sake. She glanced up at Lord Yamatsu, who wore a stunned expression on his face from having witnessed his son's performance. The laugh she gave was high and musical, while the hand she laid on the Lord's arm was small and fine-boned.

"I thought for sure he'd have clawed his own throat out when he saw my mom at the door! I owe you a drink Lord Yamatsu." She promptly paid her debt by refilling the cup in the older youkai's unfeeling hand.

Turning back to face Sesshomaru, she shook her head in admiration, causing dark bangs to fall before her eyes. Another swig went smoothly down her lips before she nodded to him once, "But as for you. I've got to admit, you sucked up that first flash of panic and rolled on slick as oil. I like that." Giving him a sly wink and smile, she turned her attention back to the meal before her.

'That boy is too impetuous for his own good.' Rubbing a hand over his face to hide his mortification, Lord Yamatsu sighed instead. 'Gods, let this be a nice quiet meal. Just bless me this once and say that whole fiasco at the door between Shinaki and Sesshomaru was the worst I have to look at today.' The he remembered that his youngest hadn't arrived yet, and the sigh grew deeper. 'Never mind.'

Inuyasha stopped before the towering gates of his father's mansion, landing lightly on the ground. Lacquered wood painted a dark red and banded with iron rose over them, supported by towering walls of pale, thick stones. Kagome slid off his back and wobbled a bit on her feet. Without thinking, Inuyasha reached out a hand to steady her, and held on as he drew her close to him.

"The old fart really must have been worried about somebody biting his balls when he built this tomb." While rude, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if Inuyasha's speculations might have been right. She took a moment to look at the home he'd lived in for so long. 'Still as happy as a cemetery.'

The thought was grim and undeserved, even though it was justified. Despite previous attempts by Lord Yamatsu to make the mansion and grounds more bright and friendly, the overall atmosphere of a place lived in by numerous youkai was still one of shadows and secrets.

Kagome honestly didn't like coming to see Inuyasha's father here, instead preferring the visits he paid them at their cottage. Being at the mansion sometimes gave her a headache. Partially from Inuyasha being so tense the entire time they were there, but the rest of the elusive migraines were linked to her miko abilities. Staying around the vast amounts of youki collected within the walls had sometimes kick started a few flares of purifying magic.

She sucked on the inside of her lower lip as she recalled one unfortunate incident Honestly, she hadn't meant to turn that one servant into a bird. He'd come in with a fresh towel, she'd accepted it and poof! Her abilities had driven out his youki, leaving a behind an ordinary little sparrow. Lord Yamatsu had been very kind about the whole thing, even if most of the rest of the staff tended to either avoid her like the plague or surreptitiously try to kill her.

On the whole, she would have chosen a meeting at a nice quiet inn somewhere. A wry grin briefly lit her face as she tried to envision any inn that would accommodate or survive a Demon Lord, his hot headed hanyou son, frigid heir apparent and whatever the future bride would be.

None came to mind.

Glancing over at where Inuyasha had gone, she rolled her eyes when he got involved in a shouting match with the gate guard. Leaning gingerly against the wall, she idly wondered how the little bout would end and what Lord Yamatsu would say if he was suddenly short a guard. 'Not much really. He'd probably use tensaiga to revive the guy and get into a bigger shouting match with Inuyasha.'

Lord Yamatsu was _really _nice, so she couldn't understand her beloved's animosity towards his own father. During the whole time since she'd met the older youkai after she and Inuyasha had fought that rogue demon pack five months ago, the kindly dog youkai had gone to great lengths to see that she and his youngest son were happy.

The argument by the gate was really heating up nicely. 'I wonder which one is going to throw the first punch?' Sometimes it was scary how used she'd become to every strange little thing.

Unbeknownst to Inuyasha, it had been Lord Yamatsu who had provided the land and the cottage they lived in. Kagome blushed deeply. He'd called it an early wedding gift for them both. Even Shippo had been warmly included in the many kindnesses showered on the couple. Yamastu had instantly taken a grandfatherly interest in the orphaned kitsune, sometimes taking him around a few quiet youkai villages to meet children his own age.

A genuine smile warmed her face as she thought of the man who'd become like a second father to her in so short a time. She only wished Inuyasha would try harder to get along with him. Coming back over to join her after punching the poor guard in the head, Inuyasha took her hand. "Old fart hasn't changed a goddamn thing." grumbled the love of her life as he roughly pushed open the door.

Sighing again as she followed him inside, she sent a prayer to the heavens.

The walk from the closing gates to the main house was short and uneventful. She watched in amusement as Inuyasha's ears twitched constantly, sensitive nose sniffing for scents only he could detect. Most likely only youkai of one sort or another, nothing to worry about.

For the most part, she was right. The myriad odors floating by were not unusual at all, but one scent made him pause and break out in that wide feral grin. The bride was here.

No longer riding on his back, Kagome could actually see the grin this time. Shuddering when she saw it twist his mouth unnaturally, it gave her a serious case of the willies. Before she could back away or make a comment about it, she was snatched off her feet and into his arms as if she weighed nothing. At any other time, the act would have been comforting or at least normal, but not with him smiling like the high king of hell. 'First this morning, and now he's grinning like a loon! I don't know if I can handle this.'

"Inuyasha, put me down." If he heard her, he gave no sign. Her plea was lost as he dashed forward into the house.

Scenery whizzed by as he unerringly navigated the halls of his childhood home. Apprehensive and definitely not trusting the look in his eyes, she did the only thing she could think of; she wriggled her arms free and tweaked his ears.

A surprised yelp reverberated through the halls.

"Damn it Kagome, that hurt!!" Arms flapping wildly, she gave a small shriek as Inuyasha suddenly released her to tend to his wounded ears. The fall was short, but hard since she was unceremoniously dumped on her bottom. Rubbing the offended area, she could only glare icily at him. "Well I wouldn't have had to yank on them to get your attention if you'd been using them!"

Satisfied his ears weren't in danger of coming off, he drew himself up and screamed back with righteous indignation, "What the fuck do you mean you crazy bitch?! I use them all the time and it's mostly to save your pathetic ass!" His voice was gruff as he absently rubbed his ears again to soothe them. Crazy woman.

The harsh tone didn't even make her flinch. "This isn't a stupid battle and you've been acting majorly weird since this morning and I'm tired of it!" Jabbing a stiff finger against his chest, she poked with every word. "So stop it baka!" Inuyasha backed up hurriedly, as much from that stabbing finger as from her tone of voice. "No need to get mad Kagome."

"Baka!" Eyes glinting, she turned and stomped away, muttering at him under her breath. Inuyasha crouched down on his haunches, listening to every word and smirking as he did so. 'She can swear a blur streak if she said that a little louder.' The smirk widened as he mentally counted backwards from ten. He didn't even make it to seven.

Screaming and running, Kagome came flying around the corner with a small cackling youkai hot on her heels.

'It's not a stupid battle.' he thought mockingly. Stepping in front of her, he swiftly brought his elbow down on the head of the creature chasing her. 'Yeah right.'

A rather large rat youkai lay sprawled on the floor boards after the blow. 'Probably a page or lower servant' he thought. When Kagome gave a small shudder, he nudged the portly side to make sure it was still alive. A loud protracted snore verified that it was most definitely still among the living. Growling at the prone form splayed unconscious on the boards, Inuyasha just said, "feh."

He then reached back and laced his fingers with Kagome's before starting forward. The gesture, both protective and apologetic, brought a blush to her face. A feather soft brush of warm lips against hers only deepened the color. "C'mon, we're gonna be late Kagome." Mumbling happy little curses at him, she followed as he led her to the dining room.

Sesshomaru had been many things in his life, but he could count on one hand the exact number of times he'd been genuinely surprised. Sipping his tea, he plucked a slice of glazed meat from his plate and chewed it thoughtfully.

His mother's death by a flaming runaway steamed bun cart driven by a demon possessed cat and pulled by five duck youkai, was definitely the first.

His father's second choice of wife being human shouldn't have been quite as surprising as it had been at the time.

The birth of his bastard half brother was a given of the marriage, but his continued survival despite daily attempts on his life by his older brother had been an irritating third.

The fourth and probably most shocking one of them all had been the fact that he'd developed what looked like eye shadow and odd tattoos on his face and body when he'd hit puberty. Sufficed to say, the years following that last event were what had molded him into the frosty sonofabitch he was today. He allowed himself a slight smile at the thought.

Today though, he could finally fill out his right hand with the things that had genuinely surprised him. It had merely taken three hundred years or so to do it. Nodding politely again towards the elderly youkai Shinaki, he glanced at the young woman currently balancing chopsticks across her nose. He somewhat…approved of the girl his father had chosen.

'Well, she is attractive enough I suppose.' Noting the almost haphazard way her obi was secured, he amended, 'Though a bit rough around the edges. Nothing that a few well trained handmaidens cannot rectify.' Examining her with a thoughtful yellow gaze, something buzzed annoyingly in the back of his mind. She smelled...just a little peculiar though.

As if noticing his subtle scrutiny, she blinked and turned her face towards him. He sucked up a sharp intake of air, hiding the action behind his cup of tea. Those eyes... He'd never seen eyes that color before, not even in youkai or demons. The cup lowered slowly as he continued to stare.

Shadows in snow was the only way to describe them. They were a blue only seen in deep ice as it met the ocean. Impossibly bright and clear, the iris might have been called washed out if not for their sheer vibrancy. A ring of slightly darker blue-violet ran around the edges with fleck of the same color scattered throughout the crystal depths. Large and open, her eyes were fringed with long black lashes. Ebony brows arched gracefully over them while she openly appraised him even as he finished studying her.

Rosy lips quirked up as a smile tugged the corners. Framed by a mass of the same raven dark hair as her lashes, it was swept up into a loose ponytail. The heart shaped face was touched by a delicate pink across her cheeks and nose. As he looked on, a few errant strands of silky hair fluttered against her slender neck and ears when a cool breeze blew in from the gardens.

So very beautiful.

"What the fuck are you staring at?" Lilting and pleasant, her words were jarring against such a lovely voice. He mentally tacked on etiquette lessons as well. As he was about to respond, the door flew open.

"Hell the fuck lo."

"Inuyasha..." the name slithered out as more of a curse than a greeting. Sesshomaru stood, fully prepared to throw his brother out on his rude ear. A tingle from the left was all the warning he received as he was blind sided by a small lithe body launching itself through the air. Incredulous, he watched as it attached itself to the hanyou in a death grip and squealed delightedly, "INUYASHA!!! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Kagome wasn't sure of a lot of things. Math was top on her list, followed pretty much by English Studies. However, she was instantly sure of two things the moment she saw the beautiful girl practically wrap herself around Inuyasha. One, she was going to kill her quickly, right after a polite greeting.

Stormy eyes looked fiercely at the grinning hanyou. Two, she was going to kill Inuyasha slowly for returning the intimate embrace.

Yamatsu sipped his tea ruefully and surveyed the scene before him. 'This would have gone better if I had just handed out knives and sat back. At least Shinaki hasn't been insulted.' Humming a very pleasant little tune, Shinaki was eating her meal in blissful ignorance of the frosty glares and dagger sharp looks being thrown over her head.

The older youkai sighed. 'Yeah, knives would have cut this torture session blessedly short.' Before any introductions could begin, the young woman he'd chosen to wed his eldest son had rather...enthusiastically wrapped herself around his youngest like a second skin. After an understandably tense moment in which he'd clarified to her that it was **indeed **Sesshomaru she was to wed and not Inuyasha, the meal had settled down into a sullen silence.

With a solemn cough to clear his throat, the Demon Lord of the West opened his mouth to initiate a conversation. After a brief moment, he closed it again when he couldn't think of something relative or even safe to say. Honey dark eyes took in the stoic and unnaturally beautiful face of his eldest, instantly dismissing any topic as futile.

Anything he said to Sesshomaru would result in a succinct and emotionally drained answer that would somehow also manage to insult everyone in the room as well. No, he actually _couldn't _talk to his heir apparent. Sesshomaru had withdrawn to wherever the hell he went in his head when he was royally pissed. Which he had been ever since he'd seen his intended bride hug his younger brother.

Sliding from the stiff younger man seated at the table to his youngest child, the old eyes softened. Inuyasha was having enough difficulty just eating. Trying not to chew with a rapidly healing broken jaw that was the result of the angriest 'Sit!' the old Lord had ever seen Kagome do, the boy was doing his best with a bowl of noodles.

For her part, Kagome was seething. Looking down into her lap, she stabbed her food with a viciousness that made him wince inside. If the chopsticks had been knives...his youngest would have died in horrible agony.

The only ray of light in the gloom was the little bride to be. And what was the bride to be doing? Chatting with Inuyasha like a couple of old drinking buddies.

"Oh! Do you remember that time you got so drunk you fell out the boat while it was still on shore? You were rolling around and screaming because you couldn't remember how to swim!" Wiping a mirthful tear from one eye, the girl pressed her hand to her aching stomach. "I told you 'Inukaki, inukaki!' and you just yelled at me to come get you before you drowned!" Completely undone, she dropped her head into a hand, in near hysterics.

Her references to 'dog paddling' just brought a tolerant smirk to Inuyasha's face. "Oi, what about when you promised that young Lord he could sleep with you? If I'm right, didn't you tie him up and rob him blind instead?" the words were more slurred, but why make you try to read that?

Leaning back slightly, the girl groaned in dismay, "Oh man! I still can't figure out how he got loose! I was so sure I tied his hands and feet together behind him." Smiling warmly, she playfully lifted one side of Inuyasha's downy bangs away from his face, "But the look on his face when he cornered me in the woods, only to have to face my 'insanely jealous hanyou lover'?!" The hand moved away to hold her stomach again in an effort to contain her merriment. "I laughed so hard at how quick he scampered off I thought I'd wet myself right there!"

A loud bang cut off some of her laughter.

At the mention of the word 'hanyou lover', Inuyasha's face inexplicably slammed straight into his bowl. Noodles flew everywhere as he whipped his head around, bright amber eyes zeroing in on Kagome. "What the fuck was that for!?"

"What are you talking about Inuyasha?" she replied tightly. "I didn't **do **anything."

"The fuck you didn't!! I heard you mutter 'sit' bitch!"

"I did not you big jerk!! Just because you're a klutz doesn't mean it's my fault!" Sticking out a little pink tongue, Kagome went back to her meal. The ominous sound of clawed fingers cracking loudly near her head didn't break her seemingly mystic connection to the bowl before her.

"Why I ought to..."

"Leave her be Inuyasha. She probably wouldn't have done it if you'd have told her about me before now." Plucking a noodle from his hair, the girl handed him a napkin with an air of mild disapproval. "Honestly, she should have pounded your head in harder."

Kagome blinked. The last thing she would have expected from the girl Inuyasha seemed so close to was understanding. 'Maybe she's not that bad...' Suddenly, she realized a huge breach in manners. Standing quickly, she bowed and introduced herself, "Um, hello. My name is Higurashi. Kagome Higurashi, and it's nice to meet you."

The girl stood to return the belated welcome, revealing a simple but lovely kimono of deep blue with white flowers on it. "Hana, Kuroi Hana. Former best friend and drinking buddy of Inuyasha before that stupid bitch Kikyo nailed him to a tree. Current lieutenant commander in Lord Yamatsu's northern most army." giggling lightly as she pointed at the stoic figure watching them, she chirped, "Future bride of stick up the ass Sessy-pooh."

Crystal blue eyes smiled warmly at Kagome, who found herself smiling back even as she tried to process the names. 'Black flower? She thinks Kikyo's a bitch too?' The last one rocketed to the forefront. 'Did she actually call him Sessy-pooh!?'

An ugly chuckle drifted over from Inuyasha's direction. "Sessy-pooh. I've got to remember that one..."

"If that name escapes your lips again in my presence little brother, I will rip off your head with my bare hands and spit down your half-bred neck." The rather graphic severity of the threat seemed comically out of place against Sesshomaru's unruffled appearance. Delicately sipping his tea again, he lowered the cup to stare levelly at his intended. "That goes for you as well."

Lips curving into a syrupy sweet smile, Kuroi purred, "Then can I call you sex kitten? Because you know you're just so damned pretty!"

Furious pounding was the only thing that saved Inuyasha from choking to death on a mouthful of noodles. Even with the intervention, the hanyou felt it had been a near thing.

His brother didn't even spare him a glance. "No."

Turning to his father, Sesshomaru raised a perfectly arched brow and asked with utter serenity, "Why am I here again?"

A large weary sigh accompanied the response, "To get to know your future bride."

"Why?"

Irritation crept in over the weariness, "So that you can find something you have in common for you life together as man and wife."

"Common? Do not be ridiculous father, I respect you too much for that." Appraising Kuroi with the same calculating yellow eyes, he spoke into the silent room. "We share nothing but beauty, of which hers will fade." Hooded, his eyes glowed faintly. "After all, she is only human."

Inuyasha smiled into his bowl. It wasn't the self-assured smirk he usually wore, or the gentle and loving smile he reserved only for Kagome. No. This was a smile that rarely saw the light of day, one that nobody really knew about and that was fine by him. The smile tugging insistently at his mouth was one of pure, gleefully malicious joy.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye at his old man, he silently applauded. He'd known growing up and hearing whispered details of his father's numerous battles, that Yamatsu could be a shrewd bastard, but this entire situation that had been set in motion? Oh, it took the whole fucking cake. Betrothing his human hating son to a human girl raised by youkai?

Priceless.

Inuyasha muttered a pleased 'feh' as he gulped down some wine, frowning as the liquid stung a few small cuts in his mouth. Growing up around and being raised by youkai had pretty much obliterated Kuroi's human smell. It was still there although very, very faint. A smug look flashed across his face. He was surprised Sesshomaru had taken this long to figure the conflicting scents out.

The smugness died, replaced by a thoughtful look. On the other hand, Kuroi had done a lot of things in her life that had altered her scent dramatically. That and her unique 'ability' further muddled it. Malevolent merriment danced across his eyes again. 'Sesshomaru is going to shit a brick when Kuroi tells him.' Noticing the frigid looks passing between his friend and his brother, he amended '_If _she tells him.' A wicked chuckle echoed into his bowl at the thought of his older brother and Kuroi together, "Stupid snob...."

Angry stabbing sounds drew his attention to a more immediate problem. Kagome. His ears, already flattened in displeasure by his general surroundings, flinched at each angry 'clink' of chopsticks against porcelain. She was pissed.

'Maybe I wasn't as nice as I should have been this morning?' he thought. Inuyasha had been so focused on getting here to see the fireworks that he knew he had been too abrupt with her. Reviewing the day in his head, he blinked and winced. Kagome was going to tear him a new one when they got home. Broad shoulders drooped slightly beneath the scarlet haori when familiar musical laughter drifted by.

Not to mention the fact that he'd never said a word about Kuroi. Opting for the tea instead of wine, Inuyasha drank it quickly. Why was it that every supposedly dead woman in his life showed up and proceeded to wrap themselves around him? Right in front of Kagome no less!? A mouthful of noodles slid down his throat untasted. Could his karma actually be that bad?

'I should ask Miroku the next time I see that bouzo.' The young man in question might be a pervert, but he was a damned good monk.

chink

But back to Kagome. How to appease her without eating dirt, if it was even possible? The bowl in front of the girl shattered from the last angry stab. Gathering the pieces, she smiled apologetically at Lord Yamatsu, saying something about her miko abilities acting up.

'Yeah right' the hanyou thought, 'there's no tingle in the air. She's just pissed.' A new bowl was whisked before her and the broken remains swept away. Picking her utensils up, she went back to the same silent, angry stabbing.

A noodle hung limply from Inuyasha's mouth as he watched her from the corner of one eye. He sucked it up and swallowed, trying not to twitch as the new porcelain beside him died as slowly as it predecessor.

He was a dead doggy. So dead.

Whether something in his manner betrayed his thoughts, or his father had a sudden desire to save the rest of the dinnerware, Lord Yamatsu announced cheerfully, "I would like for you to all stay here for the night. It would honor me to have my family around again," inclining his head to Kuroi and Shinaki, he added, "both new and old. I'll have the servants prepare rooms for all of you."

The stabbing stopped, but Inuyasha could sense that Kagome was still unhappy. Yamatsu resolved that as well, "Kagome and Inuyasha can take his old room since it's close to the outer gardens that she loves so much."

A delighted cry from Kagome made the hanyou scowl. 'What the fuck is the old geezer up to? Like I would stay anywhere near here with the new moon coming up tonight!' he thought hotly, glaring in his father's direction. About to refuse the offer, Inuyasha quickly lowered his eyes when he saw his father looking back. Suddenly very interested in the bowl of food before him, the young man grumbled, "Sure, no prob."

Kagome started, glancing at him in surprise. Inuyasha ignored her look because he didn't want to get into it right then, maybe not even later. There had been something in Yamatsu's eyes that had disturbed him. Sadness, but that had always been there when he looked at his youngest son, so it was no biggie.

But behind that had been another emotion, something the hanyou couldn't quite identify. The shock of seeing it had made him agree so readily. A small hand touched his leg beneath the cover of the table. Kagome. Grateful for that small contact, he knew he would talk to her about it later on in private.

But first..., "Oi, Sessy! Pass the sauce!"

A bowl came hurtling at his head, where he deftly snatched it out of the air without a drop being spilled. The low growl from his brother signaled that he wasn't supposed to catch that. 'He's ticked that I called him Sessy and not Sessy-pooh. Just different enough that he can't justify disemboweling me at the table. I love this.' Pleased at having annoyed his older sibling yet again, Inuyasha called out a quick, "Domo dick head!"

"You should watch yourself little brother. Tonight is not a good time to invoke my ire." Secure in the smug knowledge that the hanyou would be helpless in a few hours, his taunt brought a fierce snarl from Inuyasha. Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes, fingers flexing in preparation for a fight. Setting their food aside, both brother half rose from their seats.

The boom that rattled the dishes, shook the table and floor as Yamatsu slammed a fist against it. "Look you two," his voice was low and thick with barely restrained fury. As he looked at each of them, the old Lord flattened his hand out to keep from using it on his sons, "I would at the very least, like to eat a meal in something that you might be able to squint at sideways and call 'peace'."

Fury gave way to clipped military tones, "Suck it up and shut it down! NOW!!"

The growling died down, but very slowly. Still wanting to have the last word, Inuyasha gave a short bark. Kagome looked around in confusion, noting that both Sesshomaru and Yamatsu looked thunderous. To the young miko's surprise, Kuroi was grinning at Inuyasha as if she'd understood the sound he'd made.

Her suspicion was confirmed when the girl lightly punched Inuyasha's arm, "Inu, stop teasing the poor thing. Sesshomaru's just upset because his bride's not a youkai." Kuroi flittered her fingers over one of his ears, barely stroking the velvet surfaces.

The slight contact made Inuyasha want to purr aloud, but not with his brother and father around. The hanyou allowed himself a 'feh' to acknowledge the caress, even though he could feel his mate looking at him pointedly. 'Shit, she's going to cut them off anyway so I might as well enjoy this while I can.' Resigned to his fate, he grinned back at Kuroi.

Kuroi gave him a brighter smile and popped a chestnut into her mouth. Wiggling an ebon brow, she proceeded to juggle ten of them with one hand, letting them fall one at a time into her mouth. Despite her anger, he heard Kagome giggle beside him. The little performance evaporated his bad mood as well, and he felt himself start to chuckle.

Somehow the threat of physical rearrangement by Kagome and the rest of his family didn't seem so important, he was just so happy to see Kuroi again.

More than a little surprised, but still ecstatic. It hadn't hit him until she'd hugged him at the door how much he had unknowingly wished for her presence. He glanced over just as she turned to look at him.

They both smiled at the same time.

'Little flower, I have missed you.' The truth was, he admired her. He always had really. She was funny, bright, one hell of a fighter and very little got her down. Remembering the times when she'd made him laugh, or pushed away the loneliness he'd often felt in his life, Inuyasha hid his face behind his bangs and smiled. In his personal opinion, she was way too good for his stupid brother.

'Asshole would probably try to dress her up like a doll. She's too old for that shit.' the derisive thought brought an interesting point up. However, Kagome asked the question before he could.

"Um, Kuroi?" Frowning softly, she turned to the girl and asked hesitantly, "I was just wondering...well. How could you have known Inuyasha from so long ago since he was trapped on that tree for fifty years?" Appraising the slim figure and smooth face quickly, she finished lamely, "You don't look that ol...um, you don't seem like..."

"Like a bent over wrinkled up old hag?" came the amused responses. Kagome flushed and nodded. Scratching her head, Kuroi gave a shy little laugh. "Let's just say that I'm not as human as I appear to you, or smell to inu youkai."

Snowy browns rose in inquiry as the voice in Sesshomaru's head piped up. 'Secrets? Interesting. She might not be a bad choice after all.'

He plucked and ate a piece of tender meat as he ticked off each point, 'Let me see. In her favor; she is somewhat pretty so looking at her will not be a chore. She can fight and defend herself if she's a lieutenant, which means she will not be completely defenseless in my absence. So unlike Inuyasha, I won't be required to save her all the time. She is going to be my bride, an honor she should be realizing in the near future.'

He moved his chopsticks over to the steamed vegetables, 'Strikes against her. She is human, enough said about that. She likes my brother, more than enough said about that. She is a human who likes my brother.' Crisp sliced carrots were chewed thoroughly.

Perhaps the last one had been a stretch, but he felt that the significance of it far outweighed the bonuses. However, the last thing she had said invoked his curiosity, "So what are you if you are not a mere human?"

Once open and expressive, her face closed like a door. "I am simply what I am. Sufficed to say, I'll live as long as you barring some bizarre gristly accident. The rest is none of your damned business." Bracing both hands on the table, she leaned towards him, "And if you think you'll find out in time, then you can damned well forget it." Blue fire burned in her eyes as she scowled at him, "I've spent the last two hundred years guarding it and no one is getting it out of me. So you can go fuck yourself before thinking about an attempt." Having promptly shocked the room into silence, she sat back and drained her bottle of the remaining sake.

'She's definitely not shy.' Despite his outer detachment, her determination sparked a grudging bit of respect from him. Although something about the way his brother was smugly watching him over the rim of the bowl enraged Sesshomaru. They seemed so close, Kuroi and Inuyasha. Almost unnaturally so. Observing them side by side before him, he watched them finish their meal in eerie harmony.

Kuroi's nose would wrinkle cutely at a particular food and Inuyasha would whisk something else before her, without once looking up from his own meal. As the hanyou drained his cup, Kuroi would unerringly refill it although her full attention was focused on something Lord Yamatsu was saying. Back and forth, the two moved bowls and platters of food around in accordance with the other's unspoken whimsy. It continued like that for a while before they finally sat back full and relaxed.

On whole, it was the most disturbingly fascinating thing he'd ever seem. 'It's like seeing a mirror dance with another mirror, or itself.'

Noting the confusion gliding over the miko's face, he knew he wasn't the only one who had seen the peculiar...ballet that Inuyasha and Kuroi had performed. Sliding his gaze back and forth between the two 'friends', he seriously wondered about their actual connection.

'What secrets does Inuyasha know about her, that it seems even I, the mighty Lord Sesshomaru, will be denied knowledge of?' Oddly, he found that it bothered him more than he wanted to admit.

Night

"Kagome, how do you think my dad feels about me?" Laying on his back in bed, Inuyasha watched the shadows move across the ceiling with a slight frown. Pressed up against him, the love of his life propped herself up on her elbow as she thought about her answer. They had quickly made up once safely ensconced in the room, something she was glad of.

With a soft sigh, she kissed his cheek and stated simply, "He loves you." before dropping back down and closing her eyes to get some sleep.

No suck luck. Two warm hands pushed her slowly only her back as her lover rolled over on top of her. "What do you mean he loves me?" Dark eyes searched her face as if seeking an answer in every curve and line he saw. "I never saw that bastard more than once every few months after my mom died, so how the fuck can you sit there and say he loves me?"

Sensing a thread of honest need behind the gruff tones, Kagome placed a hand against his chest and another against his face. "First of all, I'm laying here saying it. Secondly, Myouga told me that youkai feel time differently than hanyou and humans do. Maybe for your dad, it only felt like a week had gone by, or even just a day or two."

Kissing him to stop the mounting protests, she rolled him back over and straddled him. Looking down into the handsome face highlighted by the distant lamplight pouring in from the outer garden, Kagome felt a swell of love for him. "He loves you Inuyasha. Sheesh, he loves Sesshomaru and I haven't figured that one out yet."

Still not fully convinced, Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest. Groaning at his stubborn attitude, she smacked him lightly across the muscled mounds. "Damn it Inuyasha, just watch him sometimes when he's with Shippo. He's a good father!" Rubbing her hand over the assaulted flesh, she added thoughtfully, "Maybe he had to defend his territory from other youkai around that time. Lord Yamatsu doesn't strike me as a the type of person to sit back and let others defend what's his." Glancing at the powerful body beneath her hips, her lips curled into a mischievous smile, "He reminds me of you in that aspect."

Waving a hand around them as she leaned forward on the other, her hair fell in a dark curtain around their faces, "Besides my little human, he did give us the only room in this whole place that you and I both feel secure in for your night of transition." Grumbling at the reminder of his human state, but apparently at ease about the rest, Inuyasha pulled her down and kissed her again.

Trailing the kiss down under her chin he purred against her neck, thrilling inside as the blood rushing in his ears demanded he reaffirm his claim on her. "I'll tell you what koibito, show me that thing you did before and I'll talk to my dad tomorrow." Dipping his tongue into the hollow of her neck, his voice was thick, "Okay?"

A squeal of delight melted into a moan when his mouth locked onto her shoulder. As his tongue played over the sensitive skin, it was all she could do to nod. Her lips parted with a gasp as his hands slid up her thighs and pulled her fully onto his need.

After that, she was only too happy to comply with anything.

On the opposite side of the grounds from the couple, Sesshomaru was searching the garden for his missing retainer. He had a promise of physical torment to fulfill after all. Wandering fruitlessly, he stopped under a large tree and admired the sky. He didn't have his brother's aversion to the moon free night, it appealed to him.

Not only for the opportunity to stalk and terrorize the hanyou in his helpless state, but also because it let him see the stars so clearly. Overhead, the stars shone with a chilled and perfect beauty.

'The night is beautiful. Cool and live with naught but the soothing stars to light my way. I really should skin the toad alive for avoiding me this long.'

Losing himself to the heavens, the young lord tensed as he saw a distant shadow crouch low on the roof. 'I cannot believe someone is foolish enough to try and burgle a Demon Lord.' Incredulous, he rose smoothly into the air to confront the intruder. As a master of stealth and speed, he was displeased that the figure noticed him and ran.

'No one escapes Lord Sesshomaru. I may not have gotten to kill that misbegotten hanyou, but I will slaughter someone this night!' with a burst of speed, he began the chase. It should have been over quickly, but the figure sped up even more as Sesshomaru closed the distance between them.

Bounding from roof to roof, it headed to the eastern walls. Nothing lay beyond it but dense patches of woods and a towering waterfall, which was itself braced by sheer and slippery jagged rocks. 'Fool. You will be trapped there.' cracking a crimson striped hand in anticipation, Sesshomaru's mouth pulled cruelly to the side, 'And then, you are mine.'

A twelve foot gap that lay between the last roof closest to the eastern wall and the wall itself was leapt effortlessly by the shadowy body. The display of inhuman prowess was immediately followed by an equally impressive jump to the ground outside the wall.

Not even slowing down from the landing, the figure ran on. Despite himself, Sesshomaru was intrigued. 'That's a thirty foot drop. Who is this?' Perhaps it was a spy from the Wolf Lord and his tribe, but it didn't smell like one of those mangy curs. In fact..."It doesn't smell at all."

Slipping fluidly over the wall as the pursuit continued, the inu youkai decided not to kill the other man when he caught him. Flying level to the ground he decided to extract as much information as possible first.

Then he'd kill him.

Amusing while it lasted, the chase was coming to an end. As he flew after his prey, Sesshomaru could hear the persistent roar of the falls and taste the faint moisture in the air. Obviously unaware of the impending doom, the cloak swathed figure took to the trees in an effort to evade him.

Sesshomaru wove through the thick woods and branches effortlessly. 'This might be somewhat challenging if Inuyasha didn't do it so often that I was used to it by now.' The thought of his brother unknowingly assisting him brought a rueful smile to his exquisite lips, even as he closed in on his quarry. 'Oh well, it seems the sport is over.'

Breaking through the tree line, he glimpsed the swaddled figure stop at the water's edge. Mist and shadows obscured much of the surroundings, but the ample starlight was enough for him to see by. Landing a few feet away, the youkai dropped his smile.

"It seems that you have run out of options. Thief or spy, your business at the mansion is now concluded." Stiffening at the degrading titles, the other remained silent. Sesshomaru wasn't terribly interested anyway. Breathless answers and incoherent babbling for mercy could wait until later. "Come with me quietly and I promise your death will be clean and painless." Which was true. He hated to mess up a nice outfit unnecessarily.

Swathed in a heavy and shifting fabric, only an empty hood regarded him when the figure turned slightly. Almost imperceptibly, it shook its head once and fell back into the water with a loud splash. Bubbles arose briefly in the inky water, then were swept away by the current.

"I hate having to do this the hard way." Very displeased, Sesshomaru floated over the turgid water to where the cloak had floated up near the bank. Holding his arm to the side, the tips of two fingers began to glow. "Kousen!!"

Back and forth, his arm swung in graceful arches across the water. A few lashes with the light whip shredded the dark cloth, sending tattered remains to float forlornly down the river, but no coppery tang of blood met his questing senses.

Rapidly becoming more upset, he floated out to the middle where it would be easier to hide in the deep water. The darkness blazed bright as day as he sent his ribbon of death snaking through the stream, shattering the stone riverbed and sending gouts of steaming water into the air.

Despite the display of controlled fury, a broken body still did not rise.

Unsatisfied, confused and more angry than he could ever remember, Sesshomaru sent out one last beam before flying home.

Long after he left, a head popped out from the base of the fall and dipped sadly back down. Framed by dark silver hair, it swam under the mass of rocks and through a tiny crevice. Tiny if you happen to be a broad shouldered ten foot youkai. Pulling himself up on a small ledge, the cerulean skinned young man stared down into the clear water he had just left and reflected on exactly why he was where he was.

Kiso thought of himself as a nice young man. Not outrageously gorgeous, but handsome enough to garner a few interested smiles from young ladies both hanyou and youkai. He loved and respected his mother, and since his father had passed away he helped her out regularly with his younger brothers and sisters. He did his chores, helped around the house if needed, hung out with his friends and tried to lead a normal life.

So why was he watching the future Lord of the West make underwater sushi? Large, tilted and completely yellow eyes looked at the figure curled behind him. His big sister Kuroi stared right back.

"What?" Scooting her body around to lean against the smooth wall of the cave that had formed just under the falls, she scowled at her baby brother. Shaking his head, Kiso reached in the black and green short robe he wore, producing a surprisingly large and dry blanket and pillow. "You're going to have to tell him someday sis." He admonished her as she wrapped herself up and prepared to go to sleep. "Lord Sesshomaru is going to be your husband after all."

"Fuck him."

Unfazed by the vehemence packed in the terse reply, Kiso shrugged and rolled his eyes. Silently slipping back into the water, he lifted a dark brow, "You really should try to get along with him sis. I know you think he's an ass, but Lord Yamatsu wouldn't steer you wrong on this. Just try." When Kuroi didn't respond, he shoved away from the ledge and slid completely into the frigid water.

When she was sure he had gone, hard to do when he uses that damned water elemental thing... she sat up. "I can't tell him, I don't want to tell him and I won't" the miserable rant looped adamantly both through her mind and around the small space until it was drowned out by the stronger roar of the falls. She drew her knees closer under the covers for warmth. With the pillow between her head and the wall, she closed her eyes and longed for the familiar presence of a certain hanyou.

Yamatsu stood on the balcony looking out over the western courtyard. A small body walked up beside him. He smiled fondly, "You always smell like roses Shinaki."

"And you will forever carry the strength of the mountains you are named for, Lord Yamatsu."

"Will this work, do you think?"

"We can only wait my Lord. We can only wait and see."

Together, the old friends returned to the room, leaving the night to its own affairs.


	4. Week One: Day Two

Present

Kagome stared down at where Inuyasha was splayed across the bed, snoring intermittedly. Hands on her hips, she cocked her head at the dilemma before her. Waking him up was proving to be harder than she thought. Sunlight, tickles and full blown punches hadn't managed to rouse him from his deep slumber.

"Maybe if I scream for help he'll get up." In place of the sour musing, she tried another tactic. Giggling naughtily, she leaned down and licked his ear. It got her a reaction, just not the one she was expecting. Strong arms swept her down against his broad, warm chest.

"Eep!"

The lightning quick action made her involuntarily freeze. 'Is he awake?' Still not moving, she waited to see if her ruse had worked. Gentle breath tickled her hair and was followed by another slight snore that signaled a failure. Kagome knew she should move, but she found herself relaxing against the familiar body instead.

Closing her eyes, she relished the smell of her beloved. Woodsy and wild, he smelled like the air in a forest after a thunderstorm. Fresh, but charged with hidden power. A faint and delectable aroma swam just beneath it, uniquely marking him as Inuyasha. Without thinking, she ran her tongue slowly across his bare skin, wanting to taste that comforting power. His breathing, which had been deep and even, stopped with a hitch.

"Kagome..." the way he said her name, guttural but so full of yearning that it made a familiar heat start to spread in her stomach. Kagome tipped back her head to stare at him as beautiful amber eyes that were filled with love shone back at her. Cupping his face tenderly, she thanked the heavens for the hundredth time for being pulled down the well.

"Damn it woman! Don't start shit you can't finish!" Inuyasha barked as he sat up. Blinking dumbly, Kagome stared at him in shock before walloping him hard over the head with a pillow.

"Jerk!!" she screamed and stomped out of the room, wishing for the thousandth time that he wasn't such an ass somedays. Inuyasha smiled from behind the very pillow he'd been assaulted with. It was fun knowing just how to push her buttons.

Scooting out of the low wooden box bed he'd built for her, he shook and stretched himself leisurely after tossing the fluffy weapon of choice aside. He'd deserved that. Jumping out the window, he made his way to the nearby stream for a quick bath. It wasn't that he enjoyed pissing her off really. Shaking himself dry after a rapid emersion, he amended that last thought. Okay, he did like pissing her off, but that was only because she looked so cute when she was angry.

Walking back to the house and dressing as he went, Inuyasha wasn't worried. He always apologized, even if it wasn't exactly with words. Pulling on his haori, he hopped back in through the window and walked into the next room. Kagome ignored him and Shippo was with Kaede. Ignoring his mate ignoring him, Inuyasha sat down and started eating as if nothing had happened. From the occasional huffs and scathing looks sent his way, he knew Kagome wasn't in a forgiving mood at the moment.

That was fine. This way, at least they'd make it to where they needed to be today. If things had continued...

Looking at the vision of loveliness beside him through half lidded eyes, he smiled. A wave of love and fierce possessiveness flooded over him as he watched her. She was his mate, his friend, his world and no amount of spats would change that. It was the emotions that followed so closely behind that first heated flash that had made him irritate her before.

Need.

Sharp and white hot, it made every breath that carried her scent seem as decadently intoxicating as it was arousing. His nostrils flared as he breathed deeply, allowing himself the guilty pleasure, secure in the knowledge that tonight he could satiate his carnal urges at leisure.

Feeling his gaze on her, Kagome frowned at him. The blatant desire he knew was written on his features caused her to blush prettily and look back at her meal. Now her smell was flavored with her own arousal, bringing a pleased purr from him. Yeah, he could satisfy them both.

Week One

Day Two

Sir Keiichi Takanaka was widely revered and honored as both a master calligrapher and a teacher. His students had included future emperors, kings, Lords, sons of almost grossly wealthy merchants and more than a few youkai nobles. Master Takanaka was known to have the patience of a monk and the fortitude of the mountain roots. The perfect teacher for any student.

At the moment, he was yelling his head off.

The household staff had very little to look forward to in the completion of their day to day tasks, save the occasional kind word from Lord Yamatsu or tongue lashing by the young Lord Sesshomaru. Today was proving delightfully different. A loose crowd stood listening to the tirade spilling forth like poison froth from the room Master Takanaka and the future Lady Kuroi occupied. At a particularly colorful phrase, a low guffaw rippled through some of them, only to be shushed by the rest. The staff was having a very good time.

"Why of all the pig headed, arrogant, presumptuous things I have seen in my life, madam you take the prize!" Servants scattered like butterflies as the door panel practically flew into the hall and Takanaka stormed out. Pausing at the corner, he shouted out, "I don't know who you think you are, but I swear, you are no lady!!!" Arms loaded down with hastily gathered scrolls, ink blocks and brushes, Takanaka thundered unknowingly past his audience and out the mansion. Still cursing, he made a beeline for the front gate and the stables beside them.

Halfway to his goal, a suave figure garbed in royal blue and white floated down from the sky to stand before him. "Master Takanaka." Even in the simmering depths of his wrath, the teacher recognized death wrapped in a velvet voice.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru! Um, good day to you sir." Snatching at an escaping scroll, Takanaka tried to compose himself enough to bow properly. "I was just on my way out sir."

A flat yellow gaze took in his appearance and the bundles in his hands. "Why? I was under the impression that the lesson would require more time. Was I mistaken, Master Takanaka?"

Takanaka was a smart man. Not because of his costly education and his vast amounts of learned wisdom, but because he actually listened whenever his inner voice would scream something damned useful. "I am not abandoning the student milord." Bringing his already frayed temper in check as well as dampening the sarcasm seeking purchase in his words, he pulled together the load in his arms as well as he could. "I am leaving because there is nothing for me to teach," and his throat caught on the next line, "Lady Kuroi."

Long silver hair rippled in the breeze, the only visible movement made by any part of the youkai Lord. Takanaka swore he hadn't even blinked yet.

"Nothing to teach her? She is common born and human besides. Outside of the rudimentary training she might have accidentally gleaned from service in the Lord Yamatsu's army, I do not see how you can judge her to be beyond the need of your services." Delivered in a smooth monotone, the words still managed to imply failure in everyone around him to do their job properly without his supervision.

Takanaka understood the message implied by the level voice. 'You had better have a life altering reason to justify trying to skip out on me.' Little brown eyes narrowed with affronted dignity. Sometimes, the inner voice needed to be bitch slapped. Flinging down the ink and brushes, the calligrapher unfurled a particularly large roll as he replied hotly.

"Lady Kuroi excels in math, art, history, economics and even court intrigues! Somehow, that woman has information the emperor would kill to know about. She can arrange flowers with one hand and sew intricate embroideries with the other, at nearly the _same _time!" Taking a breath, he continued.

"Her skills with the tea ceremony nearly made me weep. The way she skewered a fly from across the room with a pearl hairpin actually made me scream. As for her writing skills," he pointed to line after line of beautifully flowing script, "she proceeded to write in Katakana, Hiragana, Kanji, alone and in Furigana as well as ten different dialects and languages that I don't recognize, but am reasonably sure say the same thing as the ones I do, the lovely phrase 'Go fuck yourself!'. She may, as you say, be common born, but she is far from ignorant!"

He was tempted to ask had Sesshomaru even talked to the girl, but the inner voice bitch slapped him back before he could formulate the question. For some reason, he felt more alive having **not **asked.

Tossing the scroll on the ground along with his other tools, Takanaka signaled for a groom to bring his horse. "My Lord, if I might offer my humble advice on the subject of Lady Kuroi? Either marry her quickly or kill her." Two snowy brows rose marginally at the blunt words. Bowing to his employer, the master sighed deeply, "The lady is sharp and deadly as a sword, but as rash as a child. She is brilliant, but rough. I fear I am not up to the task of polishing her." Looking at the youkai critically, he added, "I honestly hope that you are my Lord." Bowing again, he mounted and rode away.

Sesshomaru didn't bother to watch him leave. He was busy scanning the papers flung across the dirt. 'He is correct, she does write beautifully.' A gesture brought forth servants who gathered the discarded materials and bore them away to the young Lord's room for further study. Suddenly, Sesshomaru was very intrigued by his new bride to be.

Night

Kuroi was bored out of her skull.

She'd been there, what, less than two days and already had a screaming match with her fiancée over the tutor. "Technically, I screamed. That cold bloody fish just glared." muttering sourly, she rolled onto her stomach and looked out the window at the stars and sliver of moon.

"Shine on me, comfort and guide me to your side. Beneath you I am but a speck. A blink in your vast eye is my life lived and gone." Closing her eyes, she smiled languidly. "Bless me with the beauty of your light that I might reside beside you." A familiar snort opened them again.

"That's so sweet I might choke to death." Swinging into the room, Inuyasha strutted over and smirked down at her. When she sat up and stuck her tongue out at him, he chuckled. Flopping down beside her, he cocked his head, "Since when did you become so poetic Kuroi?"

"Since my best friend got himself nailed to a tree by a crazy woman!" With a happy cry, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Oh god it's so good to see you again Koinu!"

Groaning in disbelief, he rolled his eyes dramatically, "Not the 'Puppy' thing again! Shit, I'd almost forgotten about that." Despite his harsh tone, he returned the hug warmly. Holding her close, Inuyasha felt something tight inside him start to unfurl, softening and lowering his words, "Hi Cuckoo." Closing his eyes, he simply held her, wanting the goodness of being with her to last just a bit longer. When she squirmed slightly, he reluctantly let her go.

If she noticed the reluctance, she gave no sign. Cutely wrinkling her nose at the name, she went to a bag that was sitting unpacked in a corner. "Truce." she called happily. Reaching in the sack, she pulled out a bulging knotted bundle. From the way his mouth watered at the smell, Inuyasha knew it had to contain some of her mother's sweet cakes.

The teasing smile Kuroi gave him confirmed his suspicions. Waving them in a tantalizing arc, she came back and sat beside him, laying the goodies on the bed between their legs. Her eyes danced in the lamplight.

"I won't use Koinu if you don't use Cuckoo. Okay?" The infectious smile she gave him lit her face and made him grin. "Okay Kuroi. No more Cuckoo, no more Koinu." Taking a cake, he did something he'd dreamt of for the fifty years he was imprisoned on the tree. He scooted in front of her and laid his head in her lap.

For one second, he was afraid he'd gone too far, that she might have changed more over the years than she seemed to have stayed the same. 'Is she going to yell at me?' Icy fingers of dread crawled across his heart, 'Please don't hate me, please.' Then the moment passed. He felt her fingers in his hair stroking the base of his ears, soothing half remembered nightmares away. The breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding fled in a rush. 'Thank you.'

He would have been content to stay like that all night, but Kuroi needed to know something first. "Have you told Kagome?" Barely above a whisper, her words still reached him. Guilt flashed across his face, and he curled up slightly to hide it.

"No, not yet."

The fingers stilled, but then resumed. "She has a right to know. Besides, it's not like we're doing anything wrong." She scratched lightly behind one ear, bringing a low purr out of him. "You should tell her tonight."

"No!" Inuyasha jerked away and stared at her with wide eyes. Unsure of the cause of his sudden outburst, but knowing he wasn't ready to reveal this part of himself to the girl he loved, he hid his face behind his pale bangs. Kuroi had seen enough of his face to read the expression, her mouth formed a sad but understanding smile. 'He's still so unsure of people he loves. Poor Koinu.' She guided his head back down to her lap and leaned against the wall, absently letting her hands follow an almost forgotten pattern. Ears, scalp, nape and back again.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, losing himself in the comforting touch. He curled an arm under the leg in front of him, cradling her thigh as she cradled his head. Kuroi closed her eyes and while her beloved hanyou purred against her leg, she hummed a wordless song. The melody made Inuyasha twitch an ear to catch it, "That's nice Kuroi." he whispered.

As the lamps burned out, the tune continued to caress his thoughts. While light and happy, it filled him with a strange sadness. 'The songs sounds familiar, but I can't remember it.' Frowning in the shadows of the room, he asked more to himself than to her, "Where do I know that from?"

"Dreams Inu." Soft and low, her voice sounded too distant to be so close by, "It's from a dream that spanned a lifetime." Confused, he shifted to look up into her face and was shocked immobile by the wistful yearning on it.

"K-Kuroi?" Withdrawing slightly, he saw a sparkle as the weak moonlight highlighted her eyes. "Once a week for fifty years I came, and I sat beneath the tree singing that song to you." His nose twitched with the thick scent of salt. Now he did pull away, wanting so badly to scowl at her. He hated tears. They made him fell so helpless.

His scowl died before it was half formed, because she was smiling at him, even as she cried. "I didn't want you to be alone Inu. You were my best friend. Hell, you're my only friend!" Cupping his face, Kuroi leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, still talking in that low voice. "I just...I just couldn't stand the thought of you being alone out there."

Why couldn't he breathe? 'My clothes, my hair, everything was clean when I woke up. I never thought about why.' The tightness within him unfurled further as he let himself feel her words. The hands holding his face fell away when she drew her knees to her chest and looked off into the deepest shadows of the room.

"That's how I even knew you'd been released. I went to the tree a few years ago." Tear-bright eyes locked onto his, misery stark within them, "You were gone."

At the admission, her tears finally broke through the flimsy restraint she'd tried to maintain. "I thought...I thought you had died!" Through the deep sobs wracking her body, she felt him pull her into his arms where she wept bitterly against his chest.

"I thought that damned spell had finally killed you! I searched the forest for months looking for you or your body so I could lay it to rest. I didn't know where you had gone! I didn't know if you were alive or dead, if you were happy or hurt." Trembling from the flood of memories, she babbled out the fear she'd felt for years, "All I knew everyday I looked for you, the only thing I was sure of that whole time, was that you weren't there anymore!" As she clutched him fiercely, a strangled cry ripped out of her, "I thought you had left me alone Inuyasha!!

The words stabbed him, making it hard to swallow and impossible to move. He'd left the tree by the well and never gave it any consideration except when Kagome went there. 'But all this time the two of us were hunting for the shards of the Shikon no Tama, Kuroi had been searching just as hard for me? Oh god...' He didn't think he could make it up to her if they both lived a thousand years.

"Oh no, oh gods I am so sorry Kuroi." Murmuring soothing nonsense to her, Inuyasha rubbed her back slowly. 'She believed I might have been dead? Shit, she must have been frantic.' Something bothered him, 'Why didn't I smell her at the tree if she's been there that often?' A shallow breeze brought her scent and his answer. Groaning, he held her tighter, 'Fuck! I forgot that she smells like peach blossoms! That part of the forest is lousy with peach tress. I'd have had better luck sniffing a fart in a tornado.'

By then, her crying had slowed to a mild case of hiccups. Drawing her fully across his lap, he covered them both with a blanket. "Kuroi, I promise I will never do that again." Though his words were roughened and thick, he drew a shuddery breath. "I won't scare you like that again, no matter what. I won't leave you alone like that." He freed a hand to cup her face, making her meet his eyes.

Limpid and filled with such sadness it hurt him more just to look at them, they closed as another tear fell. Using a clawed thumb, he tenderly brushed the drop away as he whispered passionately, "Never like that. I'm so sorry."

Leaning his face closer to hers, he hesitated before brushing his lips across her smooth brow. As his did so, he wondered if that simple act of comfort constituted a betrayal of Kagome's trust in him? Somehow, the question didn't bother him as much as he felt it should have.

Tucking Kuroi's head under his chin, he moaned again, "I didn't know."

Exhausted ad more secure that she'd felt in decades, Kuroi curled up against his chest and replied sleepily, "I know Inu. I know." After a tremulous breath, she mumbled plaintively before sleep claimed her, "I missed what we used to do together last night Koinu. I missed it a lot."

'The night of the new moon? Oh!' Old memories washed over him followed by a sudden exhaustion as the tightness fully released. Nearly lost in the silent darkness, he whispered as drowsiness stole over him, closing his eyes as well, "I missed it too Cuckoo. I missed it too."

They stayed that way until dawn.

Sesshomaru flew away from his rooftop perch. He had heard all that he could stand.


	5. Week One: Day Three

Week One

Day Three

Wandering the halls aimlessly, Jaken seemed like a deflated shadow of his former self. After a dispassionate flogging for his failure, he had pressed himself harder to serving his Lord's needs. It would have been a piece of cake if the Lady Kuroi wasn't making it so difficult.

"Two days. She's only been here for two short days and she's already the main topic of the rumor mill." grumbling sourly, he rounded the corner leading to his room. "The tutor was one thing, but this," he tapped the end of his staff for emphasis, "this is a real piece of work. 'Future Lady has secret midnight rendezvous with fiancée's bastard half brother'?"

Shaking his head violently, he resisted the urge to scream. "How in the hell did the staff find out? How did I **not **know before the rest of the mansion?!" Stomping his feet in frustration, he entered his room crying out, "I AM JAKEN! There should not be anything in this household that I'm not privy to. So how did I **not **know!?"

"Because _I _spread the rumor."

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Completely startled, Jaken jumped high in the air and fell unceremoniously on his head. Quickly righting himself, he bowed before his master. "L-Lord Sesshomaru! I did not know you were here!"

A glance dismissed his statement for the folly it was.

Straightening himself, Jaken gaped at his Lord as the words sank in. "Y-you my Lord? But why?" Small green hands spread in supplication, "Why would you spread such a tale about your intended?" The logic was failing to sort out in his mind and provide any clarity. "I do not understand."

"As if you could Jaken." Inspecting the view of a miniscule square of earth Jaken's solitary window afforded him, Sesshomaru tossed a pale lock of hair behind him. "Shortly, father will hear of it and annul this ridiculous arrangement due to her infidelity. I will be free and also blacklist my brother in one fell stroke."

When platitudes for his cunning brilliance failed to come, Sesshomaru turned from his contemplative inspection to look at his retainer instead. "What is it Jaken?"

Becoming a more unpleasant shade of green, the retainer replied too brightly, "Your plan sounds most effective my Lord!"

"But?"

Jaken sighed. He was going to be visiting the healers again soon, "But the Lord Yamatsu is at the home of the very hanyou you implicated. He will not hear of the tale until the dinner party tonight where you and the lady will be presented to the rest of the family."

Silence met his revelation. Turning quickly, Sesshomaru strode out the door.

Jaken felt a sudden sense of foreboding concerning the dinner party tonight. "This is not going to go well."

A large blue youkai opened the door, laughed in recognition and revealed a nice small-fanged smile. "Lord Yamatsu! It's a pleasure to see you again. Mom's round back."

The old Lord smiled in return. "Hello Kiso! My, you're getting big enough to join the army now." Walking with the laughing young man around the side of the house, Yamatsu wondered idly if Jaken had believed the lie about where he was going to spend his day. 'Blasted toad's too damned nosy as it is.' Yamatsu knew that the retainer wouldn't go near Inuyasha and his pack. But here… Glancing around at the large rambling house, his handsome face lit up. 'This is someplace that toad doesn't need to come to.'

Kiso tapped his shoulder and pointed to a small garden plot. Thanking him, Yamatsu made his way over, admiring the neat rows of flowers and foodstuffs growing out of the rich dark soil as he went. The delicate and familiar perfume of roses caressed his senses.

Shinaki didn't look up from the rose bush she was trimming. "And why has the mountain come to visit the rose?" her voice held a gentle teasing quality that she'd managed to bestow on her children.

Sinking down to sit beside her and watch her work, Yamatsu chuckled. "To see something lovely." She snorted delicately, but smiled anyway.

A small pack of children raced by, calling out a quick greeting before stripping and diving into the nearby water. Yamatsu looked at them in wonder. "Shinaki, it never ceases to amaze me how well your children get along with each other."

The aged face shifted in surprise. "They are family to each other. Hanyou, youkai or human, none of that is more important than the fact that they are a family. Everything else is irrelevant."

"Some don't see it that way, you know."

"Aye, and more the fool for it." Looking fondly at her old friend, Shinaki screwed up one bright lavender eye at him. "I've known you too long Yama. What do you need of these old bones?"

"Old? You're a hundred years younger than me!"

Gazing down at her own dirt-smudged and deeply wrinkled hands before appraising his unlined and handsome face, Shinaki gave a mirthless laugh. "Some of us age more gracefully than others." Her hands lowered, but Yamatsu stopped them with his own.

His face was unreadable when she looked over at him in surprise, "No, we all age gracefully together." He then released her fingers and contented himself with simply watching her face.

Which was managing a light bluish blush. 'I cannot believe this old dog is trying to flirt with me!' Dismissing the thought for the silliness it was, she still found herself warming under that silent gaze. Sensing her change in mood, Yamastu cleared his throat. Now she knew why he was here. His quiet rumbling tone was as familiar to her as her next question was to him, "Sesshomaru troubles you again Yama?"

"Aye. I don't know how to reach him, but I am worried about the consequences if I don't try." Deep honey eyes watched meticulous blue fingers snip leaves and buds with a dexterity that belied their age. "Talk to him when you think he is ready Yama, that is all you can do."

"But what about the thing with Kuroi and Inuyasha?"

Pale purple eyes filled momentarily with irritation, "Did I not tell you to deal with that before this betrothal? It is bad enough that Kuroi believes you did not know of her before the day you went to her outpost, she is also unaware of how deeply the rivalry between those boys of yours really is!" Snipping fast and forcefully, Shinaki halted when she realized she was going to prune her beloved bush to death.

"Yama, our two children are the closest and dearest of friends, and that alone will make Inuyasha and Sesshomaru try to kill one another." Fingers rubbed her lined brow fretfully, "I understand Inuyasha has a mate as well?"

Yamatsu nodded his snowy head, "Kagome. She's a very lovely girl who is also very good for Inuyasha."

"Has he told her about Kuroi?" the question was as pointed as the look he was getting. Yamatsu gave an embarrassed cough, "Not that I am aware of, no."

"Baka." Tossing her hands in the air, Shinaki fumed. "If you were one of mine Yama, I would throw you over a knee and spank you."

An odd light danced behind the tawny eyes at the threat, but she didn't see it. "Kuroi and Inuyasha will be well, as long as the other is whole and happy. You will have to deal with the mate and your eldest son on your own." Yamatsu groaned.

"I wish Haniko or Ukiyo was alive."

At the mention of her deceased adopted cousin, Shinaki stilled in her work. "As do I Yama. For that matter, I wish my beloved Tenshin was still beside me." despite creaking slightly from age, a wistfulness could still be heard in her voice. Picking up a clod of dirt, she placed it squarely in the startled man's hand. Pointing a gnarled finger at it she said, "In this hand you have a lump of dirt, on the other you have our wishes." Rapping the back of the full hand with the flat of her clippers, she caused him to spill the soil. "Only one of those you could ever do something with."

Laughing hard at the home grown wisdom, Yamatsu gave her cheek a quick peck, then stood and ran over to the river. Stripping down to his loin cloth, he dove in with the delighted children. Behind him, Kiso joined his mother in watching the carefree antics in the water. "Someday, he'll be able to do this at his home."

Shinaki shook her head sadly. "I have known him for a long time Kiso. He cannot allow himself to be like this in his home. There is a great honor in being a Demon Lord." At Yamatsu's happy laughter, her gaze softened, "But there is also a great burden with it."

"Is that why he comes here all the time? To get away from the burden?" Confused, Kiso set the tray he'd been carrying down and sat next to his mother. Shinaki shook her head again. "One cannot get away from great burdens unless they are cast aside. Yamatsu cares too deeply for those living in his territory to leave them in harm's way by abandoning his duties."

She laughed as Yamatsu became a large dog so the children could slid down his tail into the water. "He comes to us because here, he does not feel burdened at all."

"There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook, ook!" humming happily, Inuyasha was relaxing against a tree trunk, tapping his foot on the branch in rhythm with the song. Every refrain or so, he would break out in a carefree smile, chuckle and start humming again.

Below him; Sango, Miroku, Kagome and Shippo gaped in disbelief.

As the eldest, Miroku was the first to speak. "Kagome, are you pregnant by any chance?"

BAM!

Re-shouldering her massive weapon, Sango winced and reached down to help him back up. "Sorry Miroku. I think it's becoming a reflex now."

Forming a serene smile despite the lump growing on his head, the monk accepted the offer of assistance. "It is perfectly understandable dear Sango. You are used to my less than noble ways, so all is forgiven." He tilted his head a fraction to the side as he turned back to watch the hanyou. "You are strangely silent Kagome, care to enlighten us?"

Kagome was beet-red and getting darker. "I am not pregnant baka. I don't know why he's like that, although I could guess." Waving a dismissive hand, she looked at her extended family. "Ever since the lunch where we met his brother's new fiancée, who just happens to be an old friend of Inuyasha's, he's been acting a complete idiot."

Both companions blinked and looked at her simultaneously. Their questions weren't so synchronous.

"Sesshomaru is getting married?"

"Inuyasha actually had a friend before us?"

WHAM!

Inuyasha stood over the prone body of the monk wearing his characteristic scowl. "Yeah I had a friend you bouzo! Her name's Kuroi and she's getting hitched to my idiot brother." Rudely yanking the young monk back on his feet, the hanyou released him as soon as Miroku seemed steady. Heading in the direction of Kaede's village, the surly half-breed yelled over his shoulder, "Not that it's any of your fucking business!!

"But Inu, he's just curious." the laughing voice carried to them from the other side of the clearing. All eyes turned to watch the young woman dressed in a short cobalt blue kimono step out of the trees. Kagome frowned slightly, 'What is Kuroi doing here?' The other girl waved and came to join them. When she ran over to them, one pair of eyes watched the effect with more interest than the others.

Miroku beat Inuyasha to the young lady's side. Taking her hand in his, he flashed her his most harmless and winning smile. "Hello lovely lady. My name is Miroku and I am but a humble monk seeking the road to enlightenment whilst battling truly villainous and powerful foes. Since my fate is uncertain from day to day, I was wondering if you would do me the honor of bearing my child?"

BAM! THUMP!

Sango and Inuyasha caught him in a tag team strike.

Kuroi gave a delighted giggle before kneeling beside the fallen young man. Taking his chin in hand, she tipped his head towards her with a finger. Her warm eyes were luminous as she gazed deeply into his, "If I were not intended for another man, I would not hesitate to give myself completely into your strong knowledgeable hands, most noble and handsome monk."

Since she didn't blush from that bold statement, everyone else did it for her. Shippo fell over in shock and even Kirara took a moment to sit down.

Miroku shot to his feet fully revitalized and proclaimed with happy tears, "At last! I have found a goddess!!"

WHACK!! A growl drifted through the air and warned him to stay down for a while. Inuyasha took Kuroi's hands out of the stricken monk's clasp. Nearly dragging her towards the scattered houses, he said sharply, "Kuroi, you really should **not **encourage that bouzo, or else you'll wind up on the wrong end of his damned wandering hands."

"Do they detach or something?" Her gentle teasing coaxed a grin out of him, ruining his efforts to frown. Inuyasha finally stopped and gave in to the laugh he felt coming. "I forgot how easily you make me laugh." The hand holding his squeezed softly, making him meet her eyes.

"Inu, tell her now. Please." Kuroi whispered urgently, stepping aside a little to give a clear view of both girls he'd all but left behind in his haste. Both wore similar expressions of surprise and concern. "Do I really have to?" he knew he sounded like a child begging for a sweet, but with Kuroi, he didn't mind. She knew him too well. "Maybe a little later Inu, but you do need to make it soon." Her words carried a gentle chiding. He squeezed her hand in silent thanks.

From a distance, two sets of eyes watched them with mixed emotions. Leaning close, Sango whispered, "I thought you said they were friends?"

Exasperated, Kagome snapped back "They are as far as I know!" Seeing another intimate look pass between the hanyou and the girl whose hand he still held, Kagome's voice shrank down, "As far I know, they are just friends." Sango frowned worriedly and said nothing else. The older girl wasn't too sure of her friend's state at the moment. She herself had been more astonished at the way Inuyasha was acting around the azure-garbed girl, so she couldn't really gauge how her friend might react.

For her part, Kagome couldn't seem to decide whether to be hurt or angry. So she chose neither. Dredging up a kilowatt smile, she grabbed Sango's hand and pulled the startled girl towards Inuyasha and Kuroi. Coming abreast of them, she turned and greeted Kuroi warmly, "Hi Kuroi! It's nice to know you can dodge Sesshomaru enough to get out the house." Gesturing to her side, she indicated the young woman dressed in a pink and coral kimono, "This is Sango." Pointing out the large boomerang riding on Sango's shoulders, she explained, "She a taijiya, or demon exterminator." Rolling her eyes towards the prostrate monk behind them, she said levelly, "And you've met Miroku."

Kuroi bounced and giggled. That was all the warning they got before both girls found themselves on the receiving end of a sudden hug. Holding tightly, Kuroi chirped. "It's so nice to meet Inu's friends! I'm so happy you guys found each other!" Releasing them, she gave a happy little dance and scooted past them. A bit stunned from the enthusiasm and familiarity of the hug, Kagome and Sango nodded to thin air. Inuyasha laughed nastily at their expression, snapping them instantly out of their reverie.

They didn't need to worry about Kuroi noticing their failure to hug her in return. She was back beside Miroku helping him to his feet, where he wobbled unsteadily as he rose. When she saw him moving unsteadily, Kuroi offered her shoulder for support that he gladly accepted.

Sango seethed. 'He's faking for sympathy! That baka has been hit a lot harder than that and walked away whistling. I can't believe she's falling for his bull.' Eyes widening, her emotions shifted from angry to shocked. 'I am not seeing this.'

To everyone's further surprise, Kuroi was holding Miroku's head in both hands and laying a light kiss on each of his bumps.

"You guys are so mean to him!" Wagging a finger at them, she draped the still staggering monk's arm back across her shoulders. "He's just being honest about how he feels. Is that so bad?"

Sango snorted, "Just wait until he gropes your backside. I bet it won't seem so simple then."

"Like he's doing now?" Twisting her hips, Kuroi gave them a good view of the monk's traveling hand doing what it did best. Miroku looked positively ecstatic.

"MI...RO...KU!!"

"Excuse me Lady Kuroi, I am afraid I must hastily depart for the moment, but please accept my thanks with the knowledge that you will always have a fond place in my heart." Somehow, the wily young monk managed to kiss her hand and deliver his parting line while simultaneously avoiding both the razor sharp claws, which sought to forcefully remove his head, and the giant bone boomerang that threatened to squash him. Ducking the hiraikotsou once more, he dashed off with Inuyasha in hot pursuit.

Panting, Sango watched as Kuroi doubled over in in a fresh fit of giggles. Cocking her head she whispered to Kagome, "Is that really her? She seems...well, nice."

"Yeah, I know. After Kikyo, I was kind of disappointed that she wasn't a raving psycho bent on my bodily destruction or something. She's a little silly, but pretty much normal." The taijiya's next statement made her laugh.

"If she let's Miroku grope her without so much as batting an eye, how normal could she be?"

Afternoon

Kagome smiled. She loved Shippo, but it was kind of nice to let someone else spoil him for a while. From the way the little guy was acting, she guessed he felt the same way. She was right.

Shippo was in heaven. There was no other word for it, because he was pretty sure you couldn't feel this good and still be on earth. Purring loud enough to bring an amused smile from every person in the room, save one, he gave himself over to Kuroi's magical hands. On her part, she was fawning over the little tyke wholeheartedly.

"You are the most adorable little thing I have ever seen! Ooh, I bet you have tons and tons of wonderful spells and charms. Look at the size of that tail! You are going to grow up so big and handsome, you'll have to ward the girls off with a ring of fire." Picking the apparently boneless body from her lap, Kuroi nuzzled and kissed both his cheeks.

Deliriously happy, the cub focused one droopy blue eye on the growling hanyou. "Inuyasha, you finally did something right in bringing auntie Kuroi here. I forgive you for ever being a complete baka. She makes up for all of it."

"Bite me twerp."

Shippo didn't deign to give him a response, he was enjoying himself way too much. When the pleased vibrations threatened to rattle the walls of the hut, Inuyasha threw a pebble at his head.

"Ow! That hurt you big dummy!" The kitsune shook an angry fist in the air, but his anger evaporated as cool fingers worked lightly to soothe the bump. Practically oozing back into Kuroi's lap, the purr picked right back up. Amber eyes glared at the pair. "Little twerp. Be a real man and get the hell out of there. You look like a fucking lap dog." Shippo gave a mocking bark. Inuyasha snarled, "That is so damned sad." Rolling his eyes, he huffed from his seat by the door. Miroku and Sango hid laughter behind spontaneous coughs.

Kuroi's next words brought amusement of a different kind. Reaching out a hand, she tickled a silver ear and said solemnly, "I promise to do you next Inu. Then maybe you could do me!" The hanyou froze, one unseen eye twitching uncontrollably.

Silence is a funny thing. Although there's no sound, you can hear so much that begs to be said when it happens. The first sound was Miroku taking a deep breath, followed by three thumps as everyone close by took a turn whacking him upside the head.

Clearing his throat, Inuyasha gave a pointed look over one shoulder to the girl holding the kid. "Kuroi. That is not something I would be interested in." The tight civility of his tone made more than a few brows raise speculatively. Kagome took in his whole posture. 'I know that look. That's his 'We'll talk later, just shut up for now' look.' Despite the forced niceness, Inuyasha sounded like he was swallowing crushed glass, which made her wonder, 'Why would he rub her ears? Unless it's not her ears...?' She knew when the blush started because her face was suddenly too hot.

Bright blue eyes noted the ruddy color and watched her with concern. "Are you okay Kagome? I just meant that Inu and I would..."

Panic flashed across his face when he whirled completely around to face her, "Shut the FUCK up!!" Unthinking, he grabbed the girl's wrist and despite Shippo's protests, dragged her quickly outside. Every eye turned towards Kagome, who blushed deeper and hid her eyes behind dark bangs.

Sango stared across the little space at her friend. 'That was not like Inuyasha to be so evasive. Rude as hell, but not evasive.' Nice or not, Kuroi was causing the other girl unknowing stress, and she didn't like it one bit. Her irritation seeped out, "Kagome, who did you say this girl claimed to be?" It hurt to hear her friend sound so small and lost.

"She said she was an old friend of Inuyasha's. From before he was sealed into the tree." When they looked surprised, she waved a hand dismissively, "She said she's not as human as she seems, but I don't sense any evil from her." Chewing her lower lip, she half heartedly patted Shippo's head, 'This would be easier if I did. All I can do is watch them and try to figure it out.'

Escalating shouting drifted in through the door. Which opened and admitted a visibly upset Kuroi. The transformation from the bright bubbly girl to the tear stricken wreck stunned the other two girls. A flustered Inuyasha followed right behind her, "Look Kuroi, I didn't mean it like that!" His only answer was a stiff back presented as the crying girl faced a corner. "Go away Inu!" the shrill note to the cry put him on edge. 'I didn't mean to upset her. Shit!'

Handling emotional turmoil can bridge a lot of differences. Kagome and Sango rushed to the sobbing girl's side and glared death at the hanyou. "At least we know being rude to your friends doesn't just apply to us." The taijiya said coldly and rubbed Kuroi's shaking back while Kagome held a hand and patted a shoulder in a placating gesture. Her own eyes darkened with stormy anger, "Yeah. You need to stop being such a jerk Inuyasha!"

"What?!" Mouth agape, he wondered when the hell it had all become his fault? Frantically, the hanyou tried to think of anything that might stop the tears coming from Kuroi and still salvage his pride. "Shit, I didn't mean to yell like that. I just...fuck!" the apology faltered off badly. 'Why am I apologizing in the first place?' A sniffle reminded him, 'Because I'm an idiot.'

Kaede gave him a look of amused patience and Miroku was still on his side from the three-way punch. Shippo had a annoyingly familiar smirk on his face. But the worst was the way Sango and Kagome were wearing the same look of furious expectation. They were waiting on an apology as well.

His face blackened in fury, knuckles cracking ominously. He had rights too, didn't he? She was his friend, not theirs! He knew what was best for them, hell he saved their asses often enough that it was second nature by now, he shouldn't have to explain every little thing he did. So why didn't they just listen to him? 'Fuck this... I do what I want when I want to do it. Right now, what I want is simple, it's easy so I'm just going to do it. If they have a problem, they can all bite me.' Mind set and ready, he drew himself up and waved for Sango and Kagome to move away. Surprised by his sudden change, they did.

"I'm sorry Kuroi." the level whisper traveled around the hut, shocking everyone inside.

Inuyasha, apologizing? In front of people?! Sango looked around at the astonished faces of her friends. What kind of woman was this Kuroi that she could get Inuyasha to do that? What happened next made everyone prepare to escape. Inuyasha was notorious about public displays of affection and quite vocal on anything that even hinted at weakness on his part. So naturally, when they saw what he did after the quiet apology, they fully expected to die in order to keep word of it from traveling beyond those four wooden walls.

Giving up all pretenses of pride, he knelt down in defeat and scooted over beside his friend, where he laid his silver head in her lap. "I'm sorry Kuroi. I shouldn't have yelled like that."

Kagome stared slack jawed at the event before her. 'Oh fuck no.'

Shocked? No, too light a word. Stunned? Getting there, but still ineffective. Drowning in the yawning abyss of complete and utter denial of reality? Bingo!

When it became apparent that death wasn't imminent, they relaxed and continued staring at the pair.

"Kuroi child, what manner of being are ye that ye have such strong sway over the hanyou." Kaede asked since it was clear the others felt they couldn't.

"No one special mistress Kaede. The two of us are just old friends." Adoration shone down at Inuyasha as he returned the look with his apology still bright in his eyes. Kuroi smiled gently. "We are only friends. Nothing more."

Kagome fought to keep her breathing under control, since she really wanted to scream. She wore a scowl that would have done her mate proud. 'I am not jealous. I am not jealous. Just because she's gorgeous, seems knows every little thing about him and can make that idiot practically jump when she pouts, that doesn't mean I'm jealous!' As she looked on, Inuyasha tugged playfully on a smooth inky lock of the other girl's hair. 'Fuck it, I'm jealous.'

"Why are you two so close Auntie Kuroi? Inuyasha doesn't apologize to Kagome even when he knows he's wrong." Taking in the half breed's relaxed state, the little guy cocked his head, "He's acting weird." A quick kick from the hanyou in question sent him skittering into his 'mother's' lap. "Normal enough for you twerp?"

"Not really Inuyasha. I will admit that while I am enjoying the sight of this aspect of your personality, I do not think our dear Kagome is so appreciative." Leaning forward, Miroku tapped Inuyasha hard with his staff. It didn't get so much as a snarl from the hanyou.

Making a resigned noise, Kuroi pulled her hands away and swatted playfully at Inuyasha's ears. "Sit up Koinu, or she might shoot you with those arrows she keeps eyeing."

Still feeling a pleasant buzz from the ear massage, Inuyasha sat up with an arrogant smile on his face, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm up already." He then stood, walked a short distance and planted his head in Kagome's startled lap with the terse demand, "Keep rubbing woman." If he was going to admit to liking ear rubs, then it was going to be his idea damn it!

Incredulous, she tweaked his ear, hard. He yanked away with a yelp. "Damn it bitch, that's why I laid down in her lap and not yours! You're just plain fucking evil to me!" He started to really get vocal, but a blow to the back of the head dropped him.

Brow twitching, Kuroi growled, "Damn it Inu, you are really not helping!" Bowing in apology, Kuroi faced the seething miko and coolly appraising companions. 'Boy did he put me in the tight spot.' Scratching the back of her head, she gave an embarrassed laugh. "Kagome, please ignore baka boy here, and listen to me. I really am just friends with Inuyasha." At the chorus of disbelieving looks, she sighed gustily. "I know we seem kinda close, but that's only because we knew each other for so long." When that had no effect, she switched tactics. "Kagome, do you love him?"

Caught off guard, Kagome blushed but nodded. "Yeah, even right now when I want to kill him, I love him." She blushed harder as honey dark eyes twinkled smugly at her, but she stuck her tongue out in response.

"Then you know how I feel. I love Inu too," she hastily amended, "but not the way you do." Leaning back against the wall, Kuroi smiled, eyes looking away into the past. "Inuyasha and I met almost seventy years ago."

"But you don't appear that old, Lady Kuroi. How is that possible?" Mindful of the way Kuroi had reacted to that question before, Kagome braced for an out burst. It didn't come. Instead, she smiled sadly at Miroku. "I can't tell you noble monk. I'm sorry." Miroku nodded his understanding and motioned for her to continue.

"At first, he didn't trust me. Hell, I don't think he trusted anybody, but the first time we met really didn't help. He saw me when I had been wandering through a forest known for the number of youkai and oni in it."

"Yeah, I saw a human girl surrounded by a pack of feral fire cats. I thought it would be fun to watch." His silver hair shimmered as he shook his head ruefully, "Shit, that was a show all right, just not the one I expected." Beaming with pride at the girl who barely came to his chin, he ruffled her hair affectionately. "She wiped them out with nothing but a broken katana. I never saw any human move that fast."

"Never will Koinu." Kuroi chirped and refocused on her audience. "Needless to say, after that, he just followed me around, but wouldn't come closer than a stone's throw."

"If you saw me do what you did, would you?! Shit, I ain't a complete boob." he kicked Shippo when it looked like a comment was forthcoming.

"Stop that Koinu or I'll kick you myself. The only thing that brought him close was when I went to visit my family."

"Still a pack of youkai, only these mob you with hugs, not claws."

"Shut up or I'll tweak something!" When he let out a scandalized gasp and scooted aside, she rolled her eyes. "After a few of mom's sweet cakes, he started to come around to me. Mom's cooking has that effect on people."

Miroku asked wisely, "Magical?"

"No, just really tasty!" he fell over at the bright reply. "Anyway, he started coming with me whenever I went any place. He said if he didn't watch out for me, my mom would blame him and never give him a cake again. It was too big of a risk to take in his mind." They all gave her similar looks of polite disbelief.

Producing a familiar bundle from one sleeve, Inuyasha wordlessly opened it and broke apart only one of the many cakes inside. Pressing a piece in each person's hand, he raised a brow when they frowned at his lack of generosity. "Eat it, you'll understand."

On contact with their tongues, the air was filled with shimmering light and they said in a joyful chorus, "We understand!!!" Nodding sagely, Inuyasha put the purloined cakes back up his sleeves. Everyone watched and made plans to steal them later.

Kuroi made a mental note to knock the hell out of Inuyasha for stealing her cakes, but kept talking. "After three years or so, we became really good friends. It took four years before I found out about the…" Inuyasha nodded encouragingly, "moon cycle."

At their telling looks, she smiled with relief. "I see he trusts you guys enough to have told you about that already." Inuyasha snorted, "Fuck no. All of them found out on their own." He warmly appraised the small pack he'd assembled around himself, "But I do trust them to keep it to themselves."

"You are so silly sometimes Koinu. You know you love them, you're just being pig-headed." Ignoring his sputtering and the group's poorly hidden laughter, she went on. "Inu and I traveled together for well over ten years Kagome. We did everything from fighting, eating and damned near breathing no further than twenty feet from each other the whole time."

"I helped her and she helped me. It's hard not to get close to someone when you've lost track of the number of times you've saved each other's lives." Staring at each one of his friends, he asked pointedly, "Am I wrong?"

Everyone shook their head slowly. They have done for each other exactly what he'd just described, and weren't they as close to one another as Inuyasha seemed to be with Kuroi because of it? There was no censure this time when they watched as the two laced their fingers together.

Kuroi beamed, "Even though we both had separate homes, we never stayed longer than a visit at each one. We didn't need to. We were a family unto ourselves." A brooding expression clouded her open face. "Then he met Kikyo." Her lips pulled faintly to the side. "No offense Kaede, but we didn't hit it off when he introduced us."

"None taken child. I know my sister kept her own council." The old miko closed her eyes sadly. "She keeps it still since her resurrection."

Kuroi almost fell over in shock, "You mean I have to watch out for that psycho again!?" Clapping a hand over her mouth, she made apologetic motions to Kaede. "Sorry, it's just that when we first met and I wouldn't tell her why I had lived for so long, she tried to exorcise me with an arrow in a vital spot." Slanting her eyes to the side, she mumbled to Kagome. "Personally, I don't think she liked Inuyasha having a female in his life who wasn't her." Kaede cleared her throat, eliciting more apologetic gestures.

Inuyasha snorted. "Kikyo hated your ass. The first time we went to see your family together, it took me an hour to convince her not to purify the whole area." moaning sadly the hanyou pouted, "I should have known we weren't meant for each other when she said she didn't like your mom's sweet cakes."

Even Kaede looked at Kuroi with a scandalized expression. "Kikyo always did have a strong sense of ethics, but thine mother's cake was divine child. I cannot believe she could find them distasteful." Rubbing her wrinkled chin, Kaede mused aloud, "Perhaps she was indeed simply being petty." Her admission to a possible fault on the part of her beloved sister would have shocked them, if they hadn't eaten that cake. Anyone who could refuse one had to have something wrong with them.

Kuroi blinked at Inuyasha, "I can't believe she wanted to purify mom. She takes in orphaned human and hanyou kids for crying out loud! Who the hell purifies a widow caring for orphans? Even if mom is a youkai, that's just plain sick." Shuddering, she patted Kagome's knee affectionately, "You on the other hand are a whole other story. You didn't try to shoot at me or tell Inu not to hang around with me." With a gleeful cry, she launched herself at the other for another hug. "I like you!!"

Powerful hand pried her off, "Geez Cuckoo. Lay off, she has to breathe you know." Reluctantly letting go, Kuroi made a plaintive sound. "But she's sooo nice..." Kagome blushed and replied hesitantly, "Thanks Kuroi, you're nice too."

That brought a thrilled laugh from the cheerful girl. 'Boy, she is really easy to please. She just bounces around chirping all the time.' Inuyasha's nickname for Kuroi suddenly seemed very appropriate. An amusing thought crossed Kagome's mind, 'She'll probably kill me if I gave her a cuckoo clock for a wedding gift.'

Lounging contentedly against each other, Miroku and Sango smiled. Kuroi was turning out to be really kind, and if Inuyasha could admit freely to her fighting prowess, she might make a great ally against Naraku. Unseen, their hands met and stayed together. The future suddenly looked brighter.

Shippo shifted over beside them and opened his hand slyly. Inside were two of the cakes from earlier. They accepted them with silent thanks from the proud little cub. Smirking at Inuyasha around a mouthful of sweetness, the little kitsune thought to himself, 'I might be small Inu-baka, but kitsune are nothing if not the best at theft and trickery.'

Kuroi touched Kaede briefly on the back of her hand. "I might not have liked Kikyo very much, but I respected what she and Koinu meant to each other. I never tried to sway him when she asked him to change for her, and I tried to honor her request by staying away as much as I could bear. Even after I found out she had imprisoned him against that tree, I couldn't quite hate her, because he'd loved her." Her words were given in honesty and kindness, bringing a surprised tear to the old miko's eye.

"Thank ye child, your words are most welcome to these old ears." Returning the warm touch, her aged voice held concern, "But if ye knew of Inuyasha's imprisonment, why did ye not try to free him?"

Pain darkened the ice clear eyes. "I did. I spent a year trying." She held out her trembling hands, exposing crisscrossed welts and faded scars across the palms. Fifty years had managed to erase many, but not all the signs of magical damage. Kaede gasped. Clutching them back against her chest, Kuroi fought to breathe.

"I came and I came to that tree over and over again. I pulled on the arrow until I went blind from the backlash of the spell and passed out. One of my brothers usually had to find me and drag me home. When I could see enough to walk, I went back and I pulled again. I did that for the first year straight. Mom thought I'd lost my mind." Her voice was hollow and filled with a yawning absence of hope, making the brilliant sunset seem murky and haunted. Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her stiff shoulders, but she was too far into her memories to acknowledge it.

"Kikyo was a powerful miko and that arrow stayed put even as my blood poured out on it. I came to the tree and I pulled, nothing else mattered to me except seeing my friend again. I told myself every time before I blacked out, 'If I can just see his eyes again, if I can just see his eyes...'" Her voice trailed away, unwilling to complete that promise from the past. Kuroi looked down at her hands again. 'I would have died to see his eyes again.'

"Mom saved me, again. She told me after the last time Kiso dragged me home, that I had something more important to do for Koinu." Large tears spilled down her cheeks, "She told I had to live for him if I couldn't set him free. That now I had to watch out for him the way he'd watched out for me."

Looking around the room, her gaze touched on each person there, finally stopping on Kagome. She smiled at the miko through joyous tears. "That's why seeing you with him makes me so happy Kagome. You see, I was afraid for him." the smile wobbled as the tears fell. "I was afraid he'd be alone again."

Wiping her face on the hem of her short robe, she drew a tremulous breath. "Ever since the day he was shot by Kikyo, I came to his tree once a week to sing to him and clean away the leaves and debris. The tree and spell protected him from rain and some snow, but I needed to be sure he was really okay."

She faced her friend squarely, "I joined your father's army hoping that by traveling with it, I could find someone who might know how to remove the spell. When I came to see you, I would try out anything I had learned." Her laugh was watery, "As you saw, nothing worked! But it didn't stop me from looking and coming back to you. That became my routine and before I knew it, fifty years had slipped away." Glossy and dark, her ponytail waved from side to side as she shook her head, "That didn't stop me from coming back either."

Kuroi turned to Kagome and laid a hand softly against her face, "You freed him, and freed me as well. But more importantly, you loved him, and stayed by his side. That was the greatest service of all. You see, the reason I came to see him wasn't only to release him. It was to let him know he wasn't by himself. Even bound, I couldn't bear the thought of him being alone!"

The silence grew heavy as each member mused on Kuroi's words. Kagome most of all, 'Fifty years?! She watched over him for fifty years!? No wonder he's so calm around her. That kind of devotion makes me feel like a grade school crush.' Looking at the linked hands laying between them, she wondered if the other girl was telling the truth. 'Is her love really that different? Is it really so pure that she doesn't want him that way? Do I have to worry that one day, she might go after him like Kikyo?' Solemn blue-gray eyes watched the two friends, 'Can I actually trust what she's telling me?'

"Then it was ye who was the tree spirit the villagers spoke of Kuroi?" Kaede's remaining eye watched the nodding girl in amazement. "I had wondered why the wards and barriers I had set around the bound hanyou had no affect on ye."

"So you don't want to marry Inuyasha auntie Kuroi?" the kitsune was back in his place in his 'mother's' lap. Kagome silently blessed him and made a mental note to bring him as much chocolate as she could carry.

Looking much better after her stormy tears, Kuroi leaned forward and tickled his chin. "No my little one. I am to be his sister in law soon. I don't think it would work even if I wasn't engaged." Her nose wrinkled cutely, "We just don't like each other that way. I am betrothed to the other handsome man with silver hair."

"Pretty boy with a shitty attitude you mean." Scratching his head as he yawned, Inuyasha asked her seriously, "How the fuck can you stomach the idea of marrying that cold ass bastard anyway? He's a complete snob and arrogant as hell.' Closing his eyes, he added, "Shit, you'd do better with Miroku."

When the monk sat up brightly, he barked out, "Sit the fuck down hentai!! Kuroi may not have had a problem with your hands wandering, but if you try that shit again, you won't have to worry about the wind tunnel or Naraku 'cause I'll kill you myself!" A short growl accented his words.

Miroku sighed longingly, but turned hopefully towards Sango, "Would you..."

BAM!

"No."

Easy laughter bloomed as the sense of normalcy returned, and Kagome smiled faintly. She wanted to talk to Inuyasha, but it could wait. 'They spent fifty years apart, I guess they deserve some time in each other's company without more nosy questions.' For now, she just watched the two interact with each other with a faint hope blooming through her doubt. 'They're so close. Will we ever be that close? I hope so.'

A fretful gasp roused her from her thoughts. Kuroi was staring out the window at the gathering dusk. "Oh no, I'm going to be late." Standing up, she bowed to everyone before rushing to the door. "It was wonderful to meet you all. I wish you could come to this stupid dinner party Yamatsu is having, but it's only for his immediate family." Raising her brows hopefully, she looked to her old friend. "Do you want to come Koinu?"

He shook his head quickly. "I love you kid, but no amount of ear rubs would make me step foot in that house again." At her look of supreme disappointment, he smiled his encouragement. "But you go give them hell for both of us."

"Bad Puppy."

"Silly Bird"

"Evil Monkey Boy!" with a last wave, she left where she wished to stay to return to the place she didn't want to be.

Behind her, Inuyasha pulled Kagome close to him and whispered tenderly, "Thank you for accepting her koishii." Relaxing against him, Kagome just wished that was entirely true.


	6. Week One: Day Four, Morning

Week One

Day Four

Hangovers are God's way of saying 'Now let me remind you what stupid REALLY means…'

Kuroi moaned, cut the sound short and tried to make the world stand still. 'Have I been eating live ducks?' she wondered blearily. Her tongue felt fuzzy and her stomach was roiling enough to lend credence to the theory. Trying to sit up produced startling new concepts about gravity. "It hurts..." exhausted from merely thinking about moving, she fell limply back in bed under her covers.

"I hope that you are well today my Lady." the smooth voice wasn't loud, thankfully. However, it was accompanied by twittering that was.

Grabbing the sides of her head in an effort to keep her brain from rattling out of it, Kuroi took a deep breath. Oh hell no, it was time to lay down the law. Her voice was muffled from the covers, but emotionless and direct, "From the practiced subservient tone of your voice, I'm going to assume you're one of my new hand maidens. That's fine. It's all part an parcel of the whole Lady-to-be gig. To the one who spoke first, we might just be friends. To the other idiots trying to imitate bird calls with their laughter, don't be here when I pull the blanket back. You won't like it, trust me."

The floor vibrated as a number of people left the room in a hurry, setting her teeth on edge. 'Thank goodness somebody listens.' Pushing the blanket back, Kuroi winced when the sun made itself forcefully known to her. As she struggled to sit up, she made a vow not to drink the way she had the night before. 'Now if I can only remember how much that had been!'

Finally adjusting to the light, the poor girl held her head in one hand, 'You are getting too old for this stupid. Cut out anything harder than cider and give your body a break.' Rolling over to her knees, she began the torturous process of getting onto her feet. Through the entire ordeal, the remaining hand maiden had stayed blessedly silent.

Blinking rapidly to clear the sleep out, Kuroi looked at her new 'shadow'. A pleasant face smiled back at her. 'Not human,' Kuroi thought sluggishly, noting the greenish tint to the skin, 'and are those snakes in her hair?'

"Are you well this morning my Lady?", the question was just low enough not to incite a painful mental riot, but audible enough to be heard.

Kuroi thanked her lucky stars. A handmaiden who knew how to handle hangovers. "I'm sort of fine. My mouth is nasty, my head is killing me and I might go blind soon. Other than that, I think my death will be quick." Following that cheerful announcement, the future Lady of the West stumbled over to the small table that had been set up near the outer doors. Mentally cursing all that healthy sunlight trying to blind her, Kuroi welcomed the fresh air that cleared the webs in her mind.

She sat down, fully braced for a bout of nausea from whatever was laid out for her repast, but was delightfully surprised by what she did see. A cup of hot tea and fresh honey sat on a small tray.

"It is unwise after a night as...robust as the Lady's, to eat too heavily." Kuroi applauded the subtle change in the middle of the sentence. 'Robust huh? Oh, you're well trained kid.' Sipping the tea after a healthy dollop of the viscous sweetener, Kuroi sighed. Oh yes, she was feeling much better. "What's your name kid?"

Green eyes no surprise smiled back. "My name is Midori!"

The cup paused halfway to her lips. 'Her name is GREEN?' Glancing over, she took in the whole picture the other girl presented. 'Greenish skin, leaf green eyes, flowing black hair with a decidedly green sheen, those snakes are green too. Kimono is more shades of green than I thought existed, and I swear those socks are sea green as well. Okay Kuroi, Midori is a PERFECT name for her.'

"My names Kuroi Hana. Just Kuroi, none of that My Lady stuff." She gulped down the rest of her tea to speed up the recovery, rejoicing as heat flooded every limb with welcome relief. Oh yeah, she could take on the world now. Turning to the side, she gave Midori a friendly grin, "Why _are _you here kid?"

'As if I don't already know.'

Midori stood and whisked the tray away. "The Lord Sesshomaru sent for us last night. He said we were to help you no matter what." She lowered her voice conspiratorially, "He is most handsome, is he not?"

Kuroi blinked as the youkai giggled coquettishly into her sleeve. 'Oh my god, I am so glad I don't act like that!' But a response was in order, "Yeah, he's cute. Unfortunately being a complete asshole kind of screws up the image, don't you think?" She smiled inwardly when the other gasped.

"Well, I'm sure the Lady, um, mistress Kuroi knows him best." Unsure, Midori slipped gracefully out the door. Two more pleasant faces replaced her. From the way they were watching her, Kuroi assumed the two had been among the 'twitters'. When they didn't seem inclined to enter, she called out, "Come in, I won't bite damn it." When they continued to stay put she idly mused, 'If they've worked for youkai before, they know that may not be entirely true.'

"I'm human, so just come in."

Glancing at each other, they crept slowly into the room, but stayed within safe distance of the door. "Is the Lady alright now?" The speaker was a tall girl with rosy skin and long auburn hair. Her eyes were cast down, so Kuroi couldn't see them. Next to her, the shorter of the two kept looking around as if she expected an attack from somewhere. Her hair was done in a short bob and was a startling shade of gold. Kuroi had to fight the urge to laugh at how skittish she seemed, instead asking kindly, "What are your names?"

"Oh, I am Aka." gesturing to the nervous girl beside her, she finished, "And this is Ki. You met our sister Midori." Aka shifted nervously and kept her eyes averted, but Ki darted fearful golden brown eyes towards her. All Kuroi could do was stare slack-jawed at the now obvious rosy and saffron tones of the girls' appearances. 'Red and Yellow? Good grief, I think that snowy bastard might actually have a sense of humor somewhere. Since my name means Black, he gives me a rainbow.' She shook her head and rested it on a hand. Her handmaids were colors. Cute.

"Look you two, it's been real nice to meet you, but I'm going to get dressed," when they moved towards her, she held up a restraining hand, "by myself! Then I am going to leave, by myself! All of you can stay here and do whatever you want." Standing, Kuroi went to the closet to get her robe. It was empty. "What the hell?" A look in the other closets and chests revealed a similarly bare state.

Nice flew out the window.

"Where in the **fuck **are my clothes?!" Rounding on the terrified girls, she snarled in icy rage. "Where are my things?"

Ki squeaked and fled while Aka gathered her courage and stammered out, "T-t-the L-Lord S-s-Sesshomaru ordered us t-to burn them..." her words trailed off as common sense whispered, 'Flee.' She listened.

Kuroi didn't see her leave, she was too deep in her mounting fury. "How dare he....how dare he!?!" With an incoherent shriek, she stormed out of the room. The household staff who saw her coming suddenly remembered something that needed their immediate attention. On the other side of the mansion.

Barreling around a corner, she stumbled over a small body. It almost killed her to pause and apologize, but when she saw who it was, she broke into a large chilly smile.

"Jaken, you're just the person who can help me out..."

"So Inuyasha, tell me more about you friend Kuroi." Miroku poked the fire with a stick, ignoring the dangerous growl building behind him. Satisfied with the blaze, the young monk set a pot of rice over it to boil. "We are alone here, so you needn't worry about one of the girls hearing anything." He turned and regarded his friend with calm violet eyes. "Besides, I think you had better practice with me before trying to explain anything to Kagome."

The growl died. 'Shit, I hate it when he's right.' Muttering curses under his breath, the hanyou looked hard at his friend. "You heard her yesterday. She's my friend and that's it."

Miroku looked back without comment.

After a long stretch of silence, Inuyasha snapped, "What the fuck are you looking at bouzo?!" A dark brow rose at the outburst, but the monk didn't say a word. Inuyasha growled, 'Fuck this.' Snatching a fistful of purple robe, Inuyasha dragged him closer. "Look, Kuroi is my **friend**. **Just **my **friend**! We've never done anything."

When both brows rose, he gave the monk a hard shake, "Especially not **that **you damned hentai!" Releasing his hold in disgust, Inuyasha turned to look out the door. "We love each other, but not the way I love Kagome." A derisive grunt colored his next admission, "And definitely **not **the way I loved Kikyo." He pushed a clawed hand through his bangs, "Shit, now I don't even think I ever really loved that woman."

"Perhaps Inuyasha, what you felt for Kikyo was more of a bond between kindred spirits." Spooning up a bowl of rice and topping it with a thick stew from another pot warming to the side of the blaze, Miroku came and sat next to his friend. "From what mistress Kaede told me of the relationship you and her sister shared, it sounded to me more like the relief of loneliness than love between you."

"But I wasn't all that lonely, I had Kuroi."

"Kikyo had no one. Perhaps you felt her solitude and wanted to ease it for her the way Kuroi had eased yours?" He offered the food in his hands with a serene smile. Stunned at the insightful conclusion, Inuyasha accepted the bowl without comment.

Dark violet eyes looked out in the direction of the distant river where the girls were bathing. "With Kagome, it seems like two halves completing the other. You both are whole now. But last night with Kuroi, it was more like long lost twins being reunited." Miroku closed his eyes and sighed wistfully. "You are very lucky my friend. You have known the love of three beautiful women, while I can't seem to get even one girl to spare me a passing glance."

"Maybe if you weren't grabbing ass every two seconds, you'd have better luck."

Placing a hand to his heart in affronted dignity, Miroku retorted, "Inuyasha! I am a holy man! Just because I appreciate the female form my god made in his infinite wisdom, it doesn't mean I enjoy doing it!"

Half-lidded eyes slid his way, "Need a shovel for that pile monk?"

Smirking at the knowledge that the hanyou and Kagome had a falling out the previous night, Miroku said confidently, "At least I'm not in the proverbial dog house."

WHAM!

"That's because you spend so much time under it!" Knuckles cracking, the hanyou used his foot to step on the monk's swollen head. "And I am not in the dog house! Kagome should just trust me about Kuroi and let the shit go!"

"Why? After Kikyo, I think I have a right to know about any old flame who might want to kill me to get you back."

Ulp. When the fuck did Kagome get here? Tossing his hair back with a hand, Inuyasha straightened and strode past the quietly fuming girl. "She's a friend. I admitted that Kikyo used to be an old love, didn't I? Well Cuckoo isn't! You should just leave it at that woman." Turning from the two young women, he leapt away.

Kagome felt a tic start in one eye. 'I'm not going to sit him, I'm not going to sit him, I'm not going to sit him, I'm not going to sit him.' chanting the phrase over and over helped some.

Shippo screwed up his little face in a deep frown. "BAKA!"

A calm voice rose up to them from the ground, "Now, now Shippo. Inuyasha might be hot-headed,"

"Rude." huffed Sango.

"Mean" Kagome supplied.

"And a total BAKA!" screamed the kitsune.

"But he has always been upfront with us about his emotions, even when he wasn't aware of it." Miroku finished in exasperation. Finally getting to his feet, he pointed a finger at Kagome and queried, "How did you know when he had been to see Kikyo?"

Blinking thoughtfully, she placed a finger to her chin. "I just did. He never came right out an told me, but he'd slink around acting evasive and uptight. Not to mention he wouldn't look me in the eyes." Her head bobbed, "Pretty much guilty behavior."

"Exactly. Has he done that since Kuroi arrived?" having turn his attention back to the fire and now burnt rice, Miroku missed the dawning look of comprehension. "No, he hasn't! If anything, he seems kind of..." Kagome searched for the word to describe the absent hanyou's behavior as of late.

Sango beat her to it. "He's as relaxed as a full cat in a patch of sun."

"Yeah! It's a little creepy."

They both stared at the source of a wistful sigh. Shippo was sprawled on his back wearing a goofy smile. "Kuroi can relax me anytime."

"Traitor." Scooping him up, Kagome kissed his cheek to soften the barb. When Miroku smiled slightly, she asked him, "Are you sure about this Miroku? Do I really have nothing to worry about?

Dumping the pot out behind a bush, he patted her shoulder encouragingly, "Yes Kagome. I'd say this is one instance where Inuyasha might actually have a female companion who won't try to steal him or kill you. But if you don't believe me, then feel it out for yourself."

Making her way to her bike and awaiting bag, she nodded. 'I'll trust in him and our love. That's all I can really do.' But that and the monk's assurances didn't really assuage her fears.

"Jaken, I need you..."

In another place and time, the sultry purr of his name by a scantily-clad, beautiful woman would have been more than welcome. But now was as far from that place and time as the terrified youkai could imagine.

Lord Yamatsu made him tremble in awe, Lord Sesshomaru frightened him, but the expression on Lady Kuroi's face made the poor retainer long for a safe spot in hell.

"Where is your Lord toad?" Eyes colder and darker than a void dared him to refuse her. Swallowing convulsively, Jaken stammered, "H-he's in the bath at the moment and cannot be disturbed!" the sentence ended in a cry as she yanked him along with her.

"Bath my ass! I have a few words for your Lord, and he's going to hear every last one of them!!"

A few well timed squeezes got the directions to Sesshomaru's room easily enough. Confronted with the panel between her and her goal, Kuroi didn't even pause. A downwards slash tore it out of her way and she stalked through the remains. 'Let's see. Closet, closet, outer garden door, ah...bathroom.' It proved no more of an obstacle than the other door had been. Her body froze in shock when all she saw was the stark and painfully empty room.

Gagging noises pierced her rage shrouded brain and she slammed the little youkai against the stone edge of the tub. "WHERE IS HE!?"

The fingers around his throat were like unmovable iron bands, but it didn't stop Jaken from trying to pry them loose. "I don't know!! The Lord has never told me where he goes to bathe. He just returns when he's finished!" The bands tightened, "I SWEAR!! I swear I don't know!!" Exasperated, Kuroi flung him aside.

After all, her fight wasn't with Jaken, it was with Sesshomaru.

'He is insufferable. I can't believe he had the sheer gall to burn my clothes! Like they were trash or something. Like...' she hadn't thought it was possible to get any angrier, but her fury built to new heights as she reviewed the actions of her intended over the last few days. The tutor, the handmaidens, disposing of her clothes. 'He doesn't think I'm good enough for him!?'

"Fuck this..." a portion of the tub crumbled under her punch. Storming out the way she had come, Kuroi screamed for Midori as she stomped through the empty halls. Entering her room, she took a seat on the floor by the small table from that morning and waited. To the girl's credit, the maiden actually showed up.

"Y-yes Mistress Kuroi?" Gutsy, but still terrified.

Gripping the edges of the table hard enough to split the lacquered finish, Kuroi said in the sweetest voice she could manage while grinding her teeth into powder. "Please be a dear and help me get dressed. I wish to look my best for the Lord Sesshomaru."

"Thanks for the cakes Lord Yamatsu!"

The Lord smiled and waved at the group of children gathered around him to receive one of the many cakes Shinaki had given him. One little redhead in particular danced gleefully at the cake it held. "Enjoying yourself Shippo?" laughing at the flush on the little guy's face, he folded his large frame to sit by the kitsune.

Smiling around a large bite, Shippo nodded. "I love these things! And I really like spending time with you Lord Yamatsu." His large eyes watched the crowd of children racing down the hill disperse to their homes. "I never knew there were so many youkai villages around! And everyone here is so nice." His expression grew sad and pensive thinking about the time he'd spent with his new 'family' since his father had been killed. "All the one's I've met have been trying to kill me or my friends." The cake disappeared into his mouth.

With a sigh, the old Lord asked quietly, "Shippo, are there bad humans in the world?"

A bit startled, the child looked up at the large man watching the clouds overhead. "Well, yeah. There have been humans who did bad things. Especially a few who got a hold of a jewel shard."

Kindly gold eyes lowered to watch him as Yamatsu smiled sadly. "And would you say your father was a nice youkai?"

"Yeah, he was the best!" Understanding dawned. "Oh."

The silver head nodded. "There is good and bad in all of us." He waved a hand towards the village where the children had gone. "A village is a village and a farmer is a farmer. Whether he is human, youkai or hanyou, he is still a farmer. We are who we are, nothing more. The decisions we make are our own, no one else's. However, if they happen to be bad ones, that should not reflect on everyone like us." Placing a hand lightly on the rust colored head, he asked gently, "Do you understand?"

Shippo nodded solemnly. "The youkai we fight want power, so they do bad things to get it. We try to stop them and the bad things they do. We're the good guys stopping the bad ones, not matter what we are, or they happen to be." He gave a delighted laugh. "Thanks Lord Yamatsu!"

Tossing back his head and laughing, Yamatsu picked up the startled cub and bounced him in the air with one large hand.

"Call me Grandpa."

Night

'Where did I go wrong?'

The simple, yet poignant question had been repeating endlessly though Yamatsu's mind all evening, keeping him from much needed sleep. He still didn't have an answer.

When he'd come home from his day with Shippo, the old lord had been in a really good mood. Kagome had greeted him warmly before having to leave on a trip back through the well and Inuyasha had even managed to call him 'dad' instead of 'you old fart'. It had seemed like a really great day.

Upon reflection, that should have been the warning.

The mansion had been quiet when he'd returned later that evening, almost spooky. All the servants were still moving so he had assumed they were alive and healthy. Guards guarding, maids cleaning, pages delivering messages. Everyone had been doing their job, they had just been as silent as the grave while they did them.

It had confused Yamatsu greatly, right up until he'd sat down for dinner with Sesshomaru and Kuroi. Punctual as ever, his son had already been in the room and spared him a glance for his tardiness. Taking a seat at the head of the table, Yamatsu had waited with him for Kuroi to show up as well.

Someone had shown up eventually, just not exactly Kuroi.

"I swear, I am getting too old for this shit." Shifting to lay on his side, he groaned and asked himself again where he'd gone wrong.

Drifting into the room in a lavish cloud of delicately perfumed silk, had been the most stunning woman he'd ever seen. Gleaming black hair coiffed and perfectly set with pins and combs of gold inlaid lapis lazuli, she wore a series of flowing kimonos in various shades of blue. He swore she floated rather than merely sitting down. When she demurely bowed her head to both of them, sending out a wave of the most intoxicating perfume, his heart almost stopped.

A hand, which seemed far too heavy for her dainty wrist, had proceeded to make a plate for the strange young woman who hadn't once looked up. Instead, she had shifted her head to the side as she searched for a particular food, revealing a slim milky column of neck. At the sight of it, Yamatsu had to forcefully resist the urge to lean over and smell her.

It took about ten minutes for his nose and brain to get together. "Kuroi?"

"Yes my Lord?" Like her appearance, her voice was smooth, delicate and flawless. He almost bit off his tongue.

Something wasn't coming together.

The Kuroi who had used an axe that had made his back hurt to split an ogre in half in battle.

This Kuroi who looked as though a small wind could shatter her into dust.

The one who had once dragged an entire pot of stew off to the barracks and ate it all with no sweat.

This one who made a plate a sparrow would have snubbed as unfulfilling.

One who was loud and carefree.

One that was demure and quiet.

Suddenly, his head hurt.

"Um, are you feeling alright my dear?"

"I am quite well. Thank you so much for asking my Lord." that same silky voice.

At the sound of it, Yamatsu had known _one _thing for sure. Shinaki was going to have his balls.

Whipping his head around, he turned heated eyes on Sesshomaru. "What did you do to her? Was it a spell? Some sort of charm or something?" He'd given one more distraught glance to the girl before crying out, "Gods in heaven boy, I knew you didn't like humans, but did you have to enchant her!?"

Sesshomaru had only raised a brow, "I have done nothing. Her transformation is of her own design." Taking in the picture of stately femininity she presented, his lips hard curled into a small smile. "Although I must say, I do approve of it."

'Oh, there had been no help from that quarter.' Giving up all hope of sleep, Yamatsu sat up and called for a cup of tea. "Where did I go wrong?"

They had dined in silence. Sesshomaru ate with a distinctly pleased expression on his regal face, and the 'new' Lady Kuroi supped in her cloud of refined silence. Yamatsu had just eaten mechanically, wrapped in a state of confusion because despite the calm scene before him, his battle-hardened senses told him there was a war on the horizon.

He should have listened to his instincts.

Seeing that Sesshomaru's cup was empty, Kuroi had risen gracefully to her feet and gone to his side with a bottle of wine. "Do you wish for more my Lord?" Her voice had been as polished as glass. When the young Lord held his cup aloft with an air of inborn superiority, she had lifted the bottle in response to his gesture. Then she poured the whole thing on his head.

'Ah, battle cry.' thought Yamatsu with a sigh.

"YOU BURNED MY CLOTHES!!" Twisting her grip on the slim neck, she brought the bottle crashing down on the place Sesshomaru's head would have been if he had not moved. As it was, she was still fast enough to shatter it against his shoulder.

Flinging the jagged pieces cutting into her palm aside, Kuroi lunged after him, still screaming obscenities. "You son of a bitch! I cannot believe you did that! How dare you judge my things, how dare you judge me!? You don't have the right to judge anybody!!"

Kuroi had chosen a rather large platter as her weapon of choice and forcefully flung it in the drenched youkai's general vicinity. Sesshomaru deflected it easily, but since Kuroi had been heading in his direction, it hit her in the side of the jaw as it rebounded off a wall. Ignoring the blow, she shrieked. "You inconsiderate bastard! What made you think you could do something like that to me?"

"I tried to better you before we wed. I do not see how that is cause for this outburst." Flicking a sodden silver tendril over his shoulder, he had managed to project affronted dignity even soaking wet.

Yamatsu had prayed for a heart attack, a bolt of lightning, anything to get him out of the room. Instead, he had gotten to watch his dinner become long range projectiles while Kuroi continued chewing out her fiancée.

"Better me?! Like I need to be bettered by a snobbish, arrogant, boorish pretty boy with a stick up his ass!?!" As she's stood there trembling and panting, her eyes had burned as blue as the heart of flames.

"I am NOT a joke or some kind of thing you can just throw away when it doesn't work out the way you wanted it to!" Her appearance had started falling apart as her anger was replaced by genuine hurt. "You're supposed to learn about me, not make me into what you want me to be! I can't believe I'm going to be stuck with you for the rest of my life!" Having run out of plates, she stuck to words since the food had all missed. Sesshomaru was many things, but slow wasn't one of them.

Panting and sniffling alternatively, Kuroi squeezed her eyes tight and screamed out, "I HATE YOU!!" before she left in a fit of angry tears.

Sesshomaru had looked at his father's thunderous face and said innocently, "I was only trying to help her. Some people just don't appreciate good advice."

Sipping the tea set before him, Yamatsu wondered again where he'd gone wrong.

Taking to the rooftops after her screaming fit, Kuroi let her feet and her hurt take over her body. She was too numb to care where she went. She had to get away from there. She hated it! She hated him!

Leaping up to a tree limb, she didn't flinch when the smaller branches tore deeply at her flimsy sleeves and the flesh beneath.

"Why him? Why did Yamatsu pick ME to be with him?" she moaned in misery. Landing in a clearing, she wove her way across the ground, still whispering distractedly to herself. "Why me? I just wanted to live my life my way." Stumbling over some loose gravel, she fell hard and skinned her legs and forearms. The dust kicked up by the fall made her cough painfully, bringing fresh tears as it stung her eyes and throat.

"I want to go home. He doesn't want me and I don't want him." Dragging herself to her feet, she looked around. The darkness obscured any familiar landmarks, and the dust in her eyes made it worse. Spotting a large tree, she wobbled over and sat down heavily beneath it. "I hate him."

Exhausted both mentally and physically, she pitched sideways unconscious across the ground.

That was how Inuyasha found her.


	7. Week One: Day Four, Night

Miroku and Sango laughed heartily as Shippo danced in a perfect imitation of the wolf prince Kouga dressed like Inuyasha. The monk and exterminator had dropped by the cottage to check on their friends, only to find the hanyou out on patrol and the girl back in her world for 'finals'. Shippo had invited them in though, and proved himself to be a most capable little host.

The mood inside the cottage was light and festive, until Inuyasha burst through the door with the battered body of Kuroi in his arms and death gleaming coldly in his eyes.

"Inuyasha! What happened?" Leaping to their feet, they quickly appraised the girl's appearance. Her hair was a mess, her face was dirty and a dark bruise could be seen on her jaw. In addition to that, her clothes were shredded and bloodied across her arms and legs. Kuroi's lower extremities were no better since they were also scratched up and red as blood oozed from dozens of shallow cuts criss-crossing up and down them.

Holding a hand to her mouth, Sango stared in disbelief. "What happened to her?" Moving out of the way as the hanyou strode through towards the bedroom, she and Miroku followed when they received no answer. They both hit a solid obstacle when Inuyasha stopped suddenly.

"Get the first aid kit from the kitchen. It's on the shelf by the window." His voice was thick and brooked no argument. Nodding to Sango go in the room, Miroku went to fetch the kit.

Entering the room with the tense and silent hanyou, Sango wished she was the one who had gone for the kit. The taijiya watched without a word as her friend proceeded to disrobe the limp woman and check over her cuts and bruises. Sango could only marvel at the way his hands moved, 'He's so gentle! I've never seen him like that unless Kagome's hurt.'

When he called her name, she jumped at the sound. "Yes Inuyasha?" To the side of the bed, he was clenching and unclenching his hand next to Kuroi's swollen thigh before managing to choke out his request.

"Can you look? Please. I can't smell it, but…" he stopped and tried again, "I don't think...I don't know if I can handle that." He averted his eyes from the girl and waited, breathing in sharp ragged bursts.

Comprehension dawned swift and painful as Sango moved quickly to complete the task. A quick peek revealed a lack of bruising or blood. "He didn't...that is, she wasn't." From the way Inuyasha's breath caught in a small keening cry, she knew he'd been afraid Kuroi that had been raped.

"Thank you Sango." Squeezing her hand once, he moved to drape a blanket across the prone chest and hips.

Miroku came in and quickly averted his gaze at Kuroi's state of undress, but held out the kit. "Here Inuyasha. Is there anything else you need?"

"Warm water."

Once again, the words were short and thick. Sango moved closer to him as Miroku left to fulfill the latest task. From what she could see, the wounds looked worse than they actually were. The ones on the jaw and the deep laceration on her hand seemed to be the only serious injuries.

"She doesn't appear to be too badly hurt Inuyasha. If I'm right, Kuroi should be awake in the morning and fine in a few days." Opening the kit, Sango took out some of the bandages and antiseptics to use on the girl. A clawed hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Please watch over her Sango. When she wakes up, tell her it'll be alright." Laying the back of his hand gently against Kuroi's unblemished cheek, Inuyasha rose and headed for the door.

In the middle of daubing a cut, Sango could only call after him, "Wait! Where are you going?" the reply came back cold and deadly.

"To kill my brother."

The tea had really helped. Felling relaxed and calm, Yamatsu laid back down and closed his eyes. Maybe now he could get some sleep.

An explosion rocked the mansion, followed by the panicked screams of servant and shouts of guards running around in the confusion.

Maybe not.

As he hastily pulled on his armor and grabbed a sword, he growled, "I am getting too old for this shit!"

"SESSHOMARU!!!" Punching his way past the guards blocking the gate, Inuyasha used the Kaze no Kizu to blow the barricade apart. Stalking over the debris and bodies as he went into the empty courtyard, he threw back his head and howled. "SESSHOMARU!!!"

"What do you want little brother? It is late and we were trying to sleep." Floating down from the rooftop, Sesshomaru regarded his brother with open disdain.

"Sleep?!" crackling with unbridled rage, Inuyasha flew at his brother, "How the fuck can you sleep after what you did?!" Swinging the Tetsuaiga, he tried to cut the other man in half. His brother dodged the wild blow easily.

"My, my little brother. You are still swinging that sword around as though it were a stick. I would have thought you'd have learned how to wield it properly by now." An effortless backhand sent Inuyasha crashing into the nearest wall. Sesshomaru sneered, "It is worthless in your hands half-breed."

"As if you'd know how to treat something precious?!" Pulling himself from the rubble, Inuyasha roared and charged again. "You can't even keep your filthy hands to yourself! KAZE NO KIZU!"

The blades of cutting light ripped up the ground as they went, shattering the front of the house before dispersing. Sesshomaru evaded them again. "As much as I enjoy pummeling you into the ground little brother, what exactly are you talking about?"

Braced for his next swing, Inuyasha snarled, "As if you don't know!?! I found her after you got through with her! You're always spouting off about how superior you are to everyone around you." Leaping straight up above his brother's position, he let the Kaze no Kizu fly as he yelled, "But even the great Sesshomaru is nothing but a beater of defenseless women!"

Stunned immobile by the accusation, Sesshomaru got hit by the edge of a wave of energy. It lifted him up and knocked him straight through the roof and two solid stone walls. He managed to pull himself up just as his father rounded the corner. Yamatsu took a look at his son.

"What the hell hit you?"

"Inuyasha."

"Shit."

"SESSHOMARU!!" The howl sounded from overhead as Inuyasha leapt in, blade ready to rend and tear. Before Sesshomaru could move, Yamatsu placed himself between his eldest child and the rapidly descending blade.

Inuyasha couldn't stop his descent and he was too close to move the blade aside, although he tried. Tetsuaiga came down directly on top of his father's head. Then it slid through his body like fog.

"What?"

Both brothers stared uncomprehendingly at what just happened. Yamatsu snorted in disgust and snatched the sword from his youngest son's numb hands. "It's made out of my tooth, so of course it wouldn't hurt me." Stepping aside, he tapped the flat of the blade against his palm and regarded both his battered children and the extensive destruction of his house. "However, I can and will definitely hurt you."

When Inuyasha opened his mouth, he cut him off with a deep savage snarl, "Both of you come with me now!"

The two young men were shocked speechless as their father grabbed them by the scruff of the neck like a pair of naughty puppies and dragged them away.

Warm hands were gently washing her arm, soothing away the dull aches. They moved away and something cold stung her. "Ouch!" Pulling her arm against her chest, Kuroi opened her eyes and instantly regretted it. 'Damned dirt's still in them.' Rubbing at the tears forming, she stopped when she felt something wrapped snugly around her hand. Ignoring the burning, she snapped her eyes open. The first thing she saw was Sango.

"Sango? Why are you at the mansion?" Kuroi's voice was understandably hoarse from crying, screaming and the dust she'd swallowed. The young woman in the coral kimono frowned at the question and looked over her shoulder. A handsome face appeared and Miroku smiled benevolently down at the bandaged girl. "Hello Kuroi? Do you remember what happened to you?"

He 'oomphed' as a sharp elbow caught him in the ribs. "Don't ask her that! She probably doesn't want to think about it right now. I wouldn't." Sango helped Kuroi sit up a bit and gave her a cup. After a few long swallows of the cool water, Kuroi looked around her. 'I'm not in the mansion. Where am I?' She asked the last question aloud.

A little body hopped into her lap, gaining her full attention. Shippo, with tears in his enormous eyes hugged her neck wailing, "You're okay! We saw you when Inuyasha brought you here and you looked so bad!! I knew Sesshomaru was a big meanie!!" As Kuroi wrapped her arms around him, she turned to the two silent figures and demanded, "What is going on?"

"Do you know what I was doing a few moments ago? I was closing my eyes to go to sleep." Entering his study, Yamatsu flung both of his children to opposite sides of the room with a curt 'Sit!' and resealed the barrier around the door. His voice didn't lose its edge of forced cheer as he turned to face them, "Do you know what I'll be doing tomorrow?"

The bright mirthless smile he gave them begged them to guess. When no response was forthcoming, he clasped his hands behind his back and slid enraged eyes between the two before yelling, "I'll be burying my only children and trying to rebuild my house!!"

"He started it!" Jumping to his feet, Inuyasha flexed his claws and prepared to launch himself at his brother's throat. A blow to the back of his head dropped him like a sack of flour.

"I said sit down damn it!!"

"So, you finally show who you feel is worthy after all father." With a smug little laugh, Sesshomaru rose to his feet and prepared to leave. The roundhouse caught him in the stomach and knocked him to the floor beside his brother.

Yamatsu snarled down at him with gleaming amber eyes, "I didn't say you could leave boy, and right now neither of you is worthy of a sack of shit in my book."

Pacing back and forth, Yamatsu struggled to get his instincts under control. The father in him told him to calm down and talk to them like Shinaki had advised, but the youkai in his soul screamed for him to take the heads of the two bastards who had dared to damage what belonged to him.

'Shit, I would kill for a drink right now. Something a lot stronger than tea, definitely.' The thought was welcome as a slight pain flared behind one eye.

"Inuyasha, what in the hell possessed you to come storming in here screaming for your brother like a madman?"

'That's good Yamatsu. Breathe and ask questions rationally. Do **not **tear their throats out. Remember, they haven't given you grandchildren yet. Kill them after someone gets pregnant.' That thought lifted his mood quite nicely.

His youngest snarled and backed towards a corner. "I came here to pay that bastard back for what he did to Kuroi!"

Sesshomaru and Yamatsu both stared at him blankly. Despite the few fading scratches from their 'argument', the sneer came back to mar the perfect beauty. "She did that to herself little brother. I had no hand in it."

"The fuck she did! I saw her!!" Inuyasha fisted his hand hard enough to draw blood. "She was filthy and covered with blood and claw marks." Glaring at his father, he hissed, "How can you stand there and defend someone who would beat a woman?"

Thoughts of carnage warred with images of potential descendants as the older lord courted slowly to ten. Both of the conflicting musing ground to a halt as Yamatsu tried to sort the accusation out. "Wait. What are you talking about? Kuroi was a little upset, but no touched her."

Steel sang in the air as a blade was drawn. Cold as reflected sunlight, Sesshomaru's eyes blazed. "How dare you sit there and accuse me of something so base as that!? I will have your head you miserable little cur!" Fluidly ducking his father's outstretched arm, Sesshomaru swept his sword upwards in a motion meant to cleave and utterly disembowel an opponent. It would have worked, except for the hand that appeared around his ankle. It yanked his feet from beneath him and slammed him back towards a corner.

Yamatsu took the other sword as well, 'hw threw it forcefully out into the hall past the barrier that shimmered to let it through and resealed after it passed. Releasing his son, he rubbed a throbbing pain in his head as he paced across the room like a caged beast. "Look you two. Let's try something that might be a bit radical for you both. It's called talking."

"Inuyasha." facing the young man still scowling from his defensive crouch in the corner, Yamatsu asked quickly, "Did Kuroi actually say that Sesshomaru had hit her?"

The growling cut off, replaced by an embarrassed flush. "She didn't have to! She smelled like him and there were claw marks all over her body. Not to mention a lump the size of a goose egg on her jaw that she couldn't have given herself!" Memories of the state of his friend made him start growling again. His brother growled right back. Yamatsu barked and silenced both of them.

Muscled fingers rubbed the older youkai's temple in an effort to remove some of the pain. "Sesshomaru. Did you go near Kuroi after she left dinner?" That spot was **_really _**starting to hurt.

Elegantly taking a seat on the floor, Sesshomaru rolled his eyes. "I was taking a bath to wash the wine his beloved Kuroi dumped on me out of my hair. When I heard the explosion, I came back to see what had happened. Surprise! In the middle of chaos, Inuyasha reigns supreme. I never touched Kuroi and I definitely had no interest in going near that psycho again." Rolling his eyes at his brother, he sneered, "I see she wasted no time wandering off to bare her body in your pathetic arms though."

"Why you condescending son of a bitch! I ought to..."

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" Both brothers froze as their youki senses told them to get very still, very fast.

Squatting in front of the door with his head resting in both hands, Yamatsu said in a low, steady voice. "I am tired, and my head is killing me. I do not want to hear another word out of either one of you unless I ask for it. If you so much as peep, I will tear you apart where you stand and not regret it." Blue and crimson orbs regarded them both as his head came up. "Do I make myself clear?"

They nodded slowly, not daring to speak even if only to respond to the question. Coiling down to the ground, Yamatsu closed his eyes and rubbed uselessly at that spot again. "Inuyasha, smell your brother."

About to refuse the absurd order, Inuyasha reconsidered when the bright demonic gaze fell on him, begging for the first hint of disobedience. 'Shit, the old fart really has slipped over the edge.' Cautiously scooting sideways crablike, so that his dad remained fully in his line of sight, Inuyasha leaned over and sniffed the air around Sesshomaru. Water, soap, faint twinge of wine, but no Kuroi.

He started to say something, but fevered eyes were still watching him with unholy anticipation. His mouth closed with a snap. 'Why the hell did he stop at the West? Shit, if he's like that on the field, dad could have gotten the east, south and north too!' Pulling away slowly, the hanyou scuttled back to his corner.

Yamatsu growled in faint satisfaction. "Sesshomaru. Tell your brother what happened tonight at dinner." Glowing eyes seared the stripling Lord. "Make it quick. Your voices are irritating right now."

Following his brother's example, Sesshomaru slid imperceptibly into a corner as well. When he spoke, his voice betrayed none of the mounting fear he was beginning to feel, "We sat down to eat and Kuroi came in dressed like a hime. She asked if I wanted more wine, then poured it on my head." A snarl encouraged him to speed up the tale. "She screamed, flung food, called me names and left." There was a definite sense of relief coursing through his veins when the snarl died down. Relief and renewed respect. 'Come and hail him enemy and friend alike. He **is **the Demon Lord of the West!'

In his haste to get dressed, Yamatsu had failed to tie back his hair and it fell in unruly moonlit strands before his face and shoulders, lending him an even more looming air of savagery. He pushed it back with one hand while rolling his head around on his shoulders in an effort to relieve the tension.

Yamatsu rose and pinned his sons down with the force of his glare alone. "The first platter Kuroi threw got deflected back and hit her in the jaw. Hence the bruise. Sesshomaru picked out the kimonos she came dressed in. Hence his scent on her. After she left in a fit of tears, I went to find her but she wasn't on the grounds anymore. I assumed she went home. I guess I was wrong."

Walking languidly over to stand before Inuyasha, he reached down and drew his son up to eye level. "Look boy, you got that temper honestly, so I won't fault you for it. But if you ever come through here like that again, Sesshomaru will be an ONLY child!" he unclenched the hand fisted in the red haori, turning away while the boy landed on his feet and backed up.

Going to the other corner in that same predatory stride, Yamatsu shot out a hand and caught Sesshomaru before he could dash away. "As for you. If you presume in the height of your insufferable arrogance to casually burn Kuroi's things again, you won't get to enjoy the solitude because you'll be joining him!!" He then flung his son aside dismissively and turned away.

Still rubbing his head, Yamatsu took a deep breath and went to the door. A pass of his arm dropped the barrier and he stood aside to allow them to leave.

"Get out of my sight, now. Inuyasha, go home. Sesshomaru, go to your room." As both of them warily exited, he followed close behind, resealing the magical field as he left. Yamatsu clapped a hand on each of their shoulders, and hissed with an air for finality, "I will be awake for the rest of the night. If you two so much as bark at each other within my entire domain between now and dawn, I won't rest until you both are dead." He walked past them calling out a grim, "Good night."

Both brothers watched him leave with a chill in the depths of their hearts.

Shinaki was admiring the moonbows cast by the waterfalls when she heard a pained whine behind her. Turning, she waited calmly until the large dog came and laid down near her. The blue youkai reached out her hand and stroked the glossy fur on it's head, soothing the painful sounds away.

"I tried to warn you Yama."

Kagome pulled herself up over the lip of the well with a large smile on her face. Reaching down, she tried to tug her heavy pack up too. She almost brought it to the top, but the bag started sliding at the last moment. A dark soft muzzle shot down and snagged the bag easily, lifting it out and setting it on the ground.

"Kirara?"

The fire cat mewed in welcome. Kagome wondered idly where Inuyasha was. 'He was supposed to meet me here. Oh yeah, he patrols tonight. Maybe he ran into something and is taking care of it?'

"I hope he's okay." Still curious, but not too worried, she climbed on Kirara's broad back and told the cat to take her home.

"Guess what Kirara? I'm out of school for vacation, and after this semester, I graduate for good! Now I won't have to go back so often. Yea!"

"Meow!"

She hugged the neck beneath her affectionately, "Thanks Kirara. I hope the gang is as excited as you are." The lemon and onyx youkai landed outside the cottage and waited until her friend dismounted before turning into her smaller self. Both went inside, one to curl up on a cushion, the other went to the kitchen. Kagome was pleasantly surprised to find Sango there washing dishes.

"Sango? Why are you here?"

Giving a small cry, Sango dropped the dish she'd been washing. It fell back in the water, but she felt for it just to be sure it wasn't broken because Kagome had brought the set back from her time. The girl from the future said it was a cheap collection, but to the taijiya it was exquisitely lovely and she would hate to break any.

"Ah! Kagome, I didn't hear you come in." Drying her hand on a rag, she stepped forward and gave her friend a hug in greeting. "It's so good to have you back."

"Thanks Sango! But where's Inuyasha?" Before the young woman could answer, a crash sounded from the other room.

Leaving to investigate the source, both girls entered the room and beheld the sight at the same time. Miroku was sprawled on the floor sporting a sizable lump, Shippo was by the bed scolding him about his 'wandering hands', and Inuyasha was cradling the bandaged and obviously undressed body of the sleeping Kuroi in his lap while growling possessively at the other two.

All of them looked up when the door opened. Sango slid backwards as a flare of magic shattered the wood in Kagome's grip.

"Somebody had better start talking."

"I don't mind sleeping in a tree. I like sleeping in a tree. What I don't like is being put out of my own fucking house!" grumbling as he made himself comfortable, Inuyasha cast scathing looks in the direction of the cottage. "She should just trust me and not get so pissed all the time."


	8. Week One: Day Five

Week One

Day Five

Kuroi woke up slowly. Looking around, she spotted Shippo curled up by her head, tucked securely into his fluffy tail. She smiled at the sight of the cute little kitsune. That small action made her wince and brought the previous night back with painful clarity.

"Oh no..." Kuroi quickly scanned the room in an attempt to locate her clothes. When she couldn't find them, she did the next best thing. Pulling the thin sheet around her unclothed body, she scooted out of the bed. As she stood up, she gasped when pain lanced up her abused legs. "Oh man, I really did a number on myself." Finally managing to stand steady, she limped out the room, noting the sudden lack of a door as she went.

The front room was empty, so she followed her nose towards the kitchen. Kagome was there eating breakfast, but no one else was with her. Tears sprang to Kuroi's eyes as she slid to the floor. 'I should never have tried to find him. I made him lose his new home.' Her voice cracked with guilt and tears.

"Kagome, where is Inu?"

Looking up from her food for the source of the question, Kagome saw the other girl fall to the floor weeping silently. Hopping up from the table, she went quickly to the fallen girl's side. "You shouldn't be out of bed yet! Come on, I'll help you back." Cold hands gripped hers, forcing her to look into pain-dulled blue eyes.

"Please don't be mad at him! Don't leave him alone Kagome, please. I don't want him to be alone."

Unsure of what to do, Kagome hesitantly placed her arm around Kuroi's slender shoulders. "I-I won't leave him alone Kuroi. I'm not really mad, and he'll be here real soon. I promise." The hope and relief shining up at her made her feel dirty and low.

'She really does care about Inuyasha being with me. That's actually all she seems to want is for him to be with me. I'm such a ditz.' Hugging the girl tightly, she frowned, suddenly disgusted with herself. 'After everything with Kikyo, I said I wouldn't be jealous over every little thing, and now look at me. Putting Inuyasha out because he helped a friend.' Resolving to change things, she pulled away and smiled congenially.

"Are you hungry Kuroi? I made breakfast." Brightening appreciatively, pale blue eyes slid away.

"I can't. I have to go back." Despite Kagome's protest, she tucked the blanket more securely around herself and struggled back to her feet. "I have to go back or Yamatsu will be worried." Something in her tone caught Kagome's ear.

"But not Sesshomaru?" though soft, she knew Kuroi had heard the question by the faint blush that crept over her face and neck.

"I don't care what he thinks! He can go to hell and like it." Wobbling a bit as one knee protested, Kuroi headed for the front door. "Kagome, don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Upon opening the door, she roughly hit a red wall. "Inu...eep!" Sweeping her up in his arms, the hanyou doggedly walked right back in past Kagome and deposited Kuroi back onto the bed. Removing his hands, he pointed one finger at her and growled softly, "You are staying put."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome came in after seeing the way he had rudely grabbed his friend and carried her off towards the bedroom. "What are you doing to her?"

"Having sex! What do you think stupid?" They both blushed to the roots at that remark but he kept talking, "She's still hurt and she's not going near that idiot brother of mine until she's better!" He didn't pause in his argument, "You should have done the same thing!"

"Like I can drag people around anyway I want! Not all of us got muscles instead of brains!"

"Yeah! Some people missed out on both!"

giggle

Frowning at the foreign sound, they both looked down at Kuroi, who smiled back in amusement. "It's good to see that you two love each other so much." Slightly embarrassed at having argued before a guest, they murmured an apology to each other. Kuroi just laughed in delight. "When Inu wasn't here, I thought you had sent him away because of me Kagome. I'm glad you're back home Koinu."

Her delight died as her face clouded over, and she dropped her head down to hide it under her bangs. "I don't want to be the one who makes you lose your new family Inu." Moving to stand again, she whispered, "I think I should go."

"No!!" Two sets of hands caught her shoulders and pushed her tenderly back onto the bed. Concerned eyes, both golden and blue watched her closely. Kneeling by the bed, Kagome took the hand not clutching the sheets. "You can stay Kuroi. It's alright by me and you _know _that it's fine with Inuyasha. We want you here for as long as you want to stay."

The hanyou huffed and sat on the other side, "Besides Cuckoo. I owe you something."

Before Kuroi could protest over the name, she felt claws running gently across the top and back of her scalp. She couldn't help it, at the contact she purred. "Ooh, that's really nice. I forgive you anything Inu, just don't stop."

Kagome felt a giggle start. At that moment, Kuroi looked exactly like Inuyasha had the other night. That's when it hit her. 'Not lovers, more like siblings! The two of them act like a really strange set of twins.' Angling her head as she watched them, she amended, 'Really, **really **strange twins.'

A jaw cracking yawn and accompanying gasp of pain from the bruised jaw signaled an end to 'visiting hours'. Kagome shooed Inuyasha away and pushed Kuroi down against the pillows. "Get a little more rest." She said gently, "Those scratches were light, but your jaw and hand needs to heal. Not to mention the bruises are going to ache for a while."

"Thank you Kagome. Thank you for everything." Kuroi's eyes turned soft and warm when Inuyasha took Kagome's hand in his. "I mean it, thanks for everything." Slipping back under the blanket, Kuroi thanked them both once more and closed her eyes. Deep even breathing followed the two as they left the room. Inuyasha covered the doorway with a temporary one made of woven reed before following Kagome back to the kitchen for breakfast.

"So, what happened at the mansion?" Setting a bowl before him, she went back to her meal.

To her surprise, he paled visibly and a shudder ripped through his body before he answered. "Let's just say that my father is a scarier man than I gave him credit for." In between bites, he told her about the entire encounter. Stunned, she zeroed in on the most important aspect to her.

"You tore apart your dad's house?! How could you be so dense?"

He yelled back in disbelief, "Hey bitch, did the fact that my old man went ten feet past nuts and threatened to kill his sons repeatedly just somehow fail to sink into that thick mass you call a brain?!?" She didn't bat an eye.

"No, but I'd threaten to kill you too if you had wrecked my house in the middle of the night!!" Pushing back a handful of long black hair, she sighed thankfully, "At least Kuroi is safe and sound."

"Where?" The little kitsune rubbed his eyes sleepily as he came in the room and sat down to eat. "Did she go back home or something?"

Both of them looked at him and then each other before bolting out of the room. The woven reeds were shredded since Inuyasha hit them first. The bedroom was empty.

"FUCK!" Moving past Kagome, Inuyasha started for the front door, but stopped with his hand on the handle. There was no guarantee she went back to the mansion, or even home. As fast as she could move, even injured, she might be leagues away by now. The simple fact was that he didn't know where to look.

Distraught, Kagome turned from the room to face him, "I don't get it. I thought you could tell when people were really asleep!?" She chewed on her lower lip and watched him pace.

"If it was anybody but her I could have!! Shit!" Crouching down, he grabbed his head in both hands and tried to think. What could he do, what could he do?

He could scent her out!

'Fart in a tornado ring a bell dickhead?'

Blood trail from the scratches?

**'Fart **in a **tornado **stupid!!'

SHIT!

Kagome watched the whirlwind of emotions on his face settle into helpless frustration. "I don't know how to track her Kagome. She doesn't have enough of a scent to go by, and the little she does have just smells like peach blossoms." The thud as his knees hit the floor sounded as hollow as his voice, "There's never any noise when she moves and nothing else to mark where she's been. If I hadn't been on patrol last night, I wouldn't even have known she was out there. Kuroi is a ghost as far as tracking goes."

Inuyasha felt powerless and hated it. It showed in every line of his body. Turning towards his heart and his comfort, he looked at her with pain darkened eyes and whispered, "But I don't want her to be out there hurt and scared. Oh god Kagome, I don't want her to be alone."

The air fled from her lungs at that simple phrase that incited so strong a sense of deja vu that it left her reeling. 'Dear god, what are these two to each other really?' Holding him in her arms, she let him howl in helpless rage.

Crossing some stones in the middle of a stream, Kuroi wavered as a dull ache slammed her heart against her chest and drove her to her knees. "Oh Koinu, I'm so sorry." Wiping her unbidden tears away, she rose and made her way slowly back to the mansion.

Midori found her later. On a trip to the less frequently used woodpile to catch mice for her snakes, she found the Lady passed out on the ground. Bandaged and clothed only in a sopping thin sheet, Kuroi was burning up with a low fever. Assessing the situation at hand, Midori did what any well-trained hand maiden in that situation would do.

The jade maiden cleared her throat and screamed. The well pitched shriek brought the guards who quickly summoned the head healer. He hastily instructed for the Lady to be loaded onto a palanquin and borne away for immediate treatment.

She received it under watchful yellow eyes.


	9. Week One: Day Six

Week One

Day Six

The morning passed in a herb soaked daze.

Healers flocked in and out of her room, audibly marveling at the speed of her recovery. Kuroi idly wondered if they had even treated anything more serious than a scraped knee.

'Try a gut shot with hot lead shrapnel from a cannon misfire. Babies.' Yamatsu even came by once and held her hand, talking to her in gentle and hushed tones before having to leave to oversee some reconstruction. His genuine kindness and interest were a better balm for her than the unguents the healers had plastered to her jaw.

Midori practically bubbled while attending to her small wants and wishes. It was from her that Kuroi learned of the 'heroic battle to defend your Lady's honor' between the two brothers. The deep and misery filled groan Kuroi gave over that bit of news brought another visit from a healer to see if a wound had been missed in the previous thorough searches.

Aka and Ki came and unpacked new gifts of clothes and fabrics that were delivered to her room. The gifts came with a small note done in flawless script saying, 'I might have erred.'

Kuroi almost bit a hole in her lip trying not to laugh. 'He can't even write I'm sorry?! Oh heaven help me, I need a great sense of humor to survive this man.' Watching the endless parade of silk, satin and fine linen creations floating into her closets, she realized that she needed to get a note to her brother. Fast.

'But first, I need to talk to Sessy-pooh.'

After Ki and Aka left, Kuroi turned to Midori and asked for a brush and piece of paper. When the writing tray was laid across her lap, Kuroi grabbed the brush and wrote. She didn't pause to consider her words. After all, jotting down 'Come here please' wasn't a monumental task. The green girl accepted it and took the note away swiftly and quietly.

"Now all I have to do is wait." Kuroi sighed.

Shifting around, she got to her feet, delighted not to experience any pains or even lingering aches. Her opinion of the healers rose a few notches. 'They're good. I wish I'd had these guys on call when that parasitic tree youkai tried to rip my leg apart.' It had taken weeks for the injury to stop bothering her and heal properly. 'These guys might have cut it down to a few days.'

She glanced down at her calves where the wound had been. Only Inuyasha knew how badly she'd ever been injured in fights before because she always healed back to smooth unblemished skin. Kuroi caught sight of her palms as she reached for a robe. 'Almost perfect, but not quite.' Focused on her thoughts, she pulled on the first thing she grabbed. A plain yellow kimono. 'Ugh, I have got to get some blue fabric.' Yanking at the front of it, she started to remove the offensive robe when a voice froze her hands.

"So it is not just my baby brother you enjoy disrobing before? I feel honored."

Shit. She yanked the clothing back on and turned to glare over her shoulder as she tied it closed. Cool and collected, Sesshomaru was lounging against the doorframe and watching her with an unreadable expression.

"No. Inu did it while I was asleep." When one slowly lifting brow pointed out the way her statement sounded, Kuroi flushed. "Get your mind out the gutter Sessy! I was passed out, he thought I might have been hurt."

"So he removed all your clothes? Well, that makes so much more sense. We should all hope for good Samaritans of that inclination, don't you think?" Closing the door behind him as he entered, he went to take a seat by the outer door. A small square appeared between his fingers like magic and a flick of his wrist sent the neatly folded piece of paper to land by her foot. "I received your rather, abrupt request." Yellow eyes focused on her with hawk-like intensity. "What do you want, little flower?"

At the nickname Inuyasha regularly used for her, Kuroi visibly started. 'Oh shit. Has he been listening in on Koinu and I?' Swallowing to bring much needed moisture to her dry throat, She took a deep breath. 'If he did, we weren't doing anything and he can bite me. That's not what I called him here for anyway.'

"I wanted to say I'm sorry."

He blinked once.

"I mean actually and truly sorry. I shouldn't have run off in a screaming fit last night." Ducking her head, she played with the end of her sash. "Even if I _was _justified, I still should have at least acted my age and talked to you about it." She took a look at his gleaming silver locks Which Were glowing from the noon day sun, surrounding him with an almost ethereal light.

'He looks like an angel.' she thought. 'Too bad he isn't one.'

"Like I said, I shouldn't have poured wine on your head and tossed food around." Dropping the ends of the fabric she'd been fingering, she stuck her hand out. "Truce? I won't try to decorate you with glazed duck and you lay off the whole 'better you' thing. I figured, since part of your name means 'negotiation', you might be open to trying to have one with me. Okay?"

Sesshomaru blinked again and rose, walking past her offered hand towards the door. He paused at the threshold and said mildly, "I will honor your request, but only because it seems you have matured somewhat from your ordeal last night. You might prove to be suitable without my aid after all." His voice carried back to her as he left in a rustle of robes and swishing fur, "However, you should also note that part of my name can mean 'killing'. Remember that."

Savagely beating down the urge to chase after him and pour a bucket of slop over his head, Kuroi thought heatedly, 'Just get through the day girl. Just get through the freaking day!' Grinding her teeth again, she sat down to write two more letters. These were considerably longer.

Afternoon

Everyone was worried.

Kagome had sent Shippo off to get Miroku and Sango right after Kuroi's mysterious departure that morning. The two had come as quickly as possible. When Kagome caught them up with the problem, they said they would be more than happy to help. Now they all sat in silence around the table.

Watching Inuyasha.

Not that they didn't put forth an effort to locate the missing girl. Miroku had tried a locating charm using a piece of bloodied bandage from the night before.

It had burst into flames in his hands.

Sango had waved the shredded kimono Kuroi had arrived in under Kirara's nose to give the cat the scent. The fire cat had transformed, dashed outside and returned with a broken tree branch laden with peach blossoms. After that, they gave up tracking and tried to help their friend instead.

The young monk had tried talking to the hanyou, only to be met with stony indifference. Sango didn't even get a chance. One look from those tortured golden eyes was enough to send her back inside shaking her head in sadness. Inuyasha remained outside in the branches of a tree, curled up and pressed against the trunk staring at nothing.

Shippo was almost as bad. Unlike Inuyasha though, the kitsune was sighing and eating mechanically with them. That was exactly how the hours had passed since Kuroi had disappeared. Someone would occasionally toss out an idea. It would get analyzed and tossed back out, leaving them at square one again. They had sat all morning observing as Inuyasha clutched a scrap of torn kimono and moaned miserably in the tree high outside the window.

"Kagome. You know how I always said I wished Inuyasha was more honest with his feelings? Well I take back every word." Chewing on one of the snacks Kagome had brought back with her, Sango continued watching in fascinated trepidation. "I mean, I like knowing he has a tender side, but this is just plain scary. Can't you help him or something? Some miko-powered pick me up?"

Even Miroku was too disturbed to give his usual friendly barbs. "It wouldn't help, although it was a nice suggestion. However, Sango is right Kagome. This is well beyond abnormal. For Inuyasha or hanyou in general."

Throwing up her hands, the target huffed irritably but it subsided quickly. "I know he looks bad _now_, but at least he's stopped howling like a wounded dog." Waving a cookie at the window, Kagome brought it back to her month and bit it. "Now he's up the tree like a dying cat."

"He's taking this hard momma because Kuroi can't be tracked and she's hurt. Since he sees her as a part of a pack that he leads, he feels this is his fault." Stuffing a handful of chocolate crisps in his mouth, Shippo twitched his tail limply from his place on the windowsill. He then turned to regard them with one dejected eye before saying clearly, "The really sad thing is that it _is _all Inu-baka's fault because he should have never left the room!"

A nut bopped him on the head with practiced accuracy. "Hey! No fair hitting me if you're sad stupid!!" Rubbing his wound, he bounced inside to sit my his mother. "Baka."

Kagome was about to scold him for harassing Inuyasha when a knock at the door caught their attention. Brushing herself off, Kagome motioned for the others to stay seated and went to answer it. When she opened the door, she was greeted by a smiling girl.

A completely green smiling girl. 'Are those snakes in her hair?'

"Can I help you?" A bit unsettled by having hair watch her, Kagome gave an unsteady smile.

"Hello! My name is Midori and if you're Kagome then this is for you!" Bowing quickly, she thrust a scroll into Kagome's hands when she nodded. the girl then gave a jaunty wave before floating away on a misty green cloud.

'She really was green.' for some reason, that thought stayed at the forefront of Kagome's astounded mind.

Closing the door and trying to convince herself she'd actually seen what she'd just seen, Kagome walked woodenly back to her friends. Plunking down heavily, she broke the wax seal and unrolled the paper across the table so everyone could see.

The letter was short, but direct. When they finished, the group rolled it up without comment and called as one.

"INUYASHA!!"

"Yes mama. No mama. Yes mama. No mama. Yes mama. No mama." Sighing for what seemed the hundredth time, Kiso answered his mother's seemingly endless questions. "Yes I will remember to tell her mom." Ever since that pretty green girl had delivered his sister's brief letter, his mother hadn't stopped asking them. He listened with only half an ear to another query.

'I wonder what her name was?'

Pushing a couple of small bundles into his robes, Kiso walked out the door and into the river by the house. A quick thought sent his body flowing into it and he let the current take him to his big sister.


	10. Week One: Day Seven

Week One:

Day Seven

"What are you doing and where are your clothes?" Standing in the top branches of an ancient pine, Sesshomaru glared down at the naked young woman he would soon call his wife.

"I'm washing this shit off my face and out of my hair you asshole!" True to her crude words, Kuroi was rinsing away the last three hours worth of work the hand maidens had performed on her hair, face and nails. She didn't regret her words. The promise had been about tossing food, not insults. Besides, she felt he deserved it after the 'beauty' appointment he'd arranged for her that morning. There was a small consolidation because Midori had warned her about it beforehand.

She pointed to a haphazard pile of silks worth a king's ransom currently lying in the staining mud, "There's the clothes you told me I had to wear." She paused rinsing her hair to glare back at him, unabashed in her nudity before huffing and resuming the task at hand. 

Sesshomaru noted that all the little injuries she'd sustained had indeed healed completely, leaving healthy glowing skin behind. He took a personal moment to appreciate the view her upturned posterior presented. There was no shame to his actions. After all, she would soon be his to admire as he wished. However, it did make him grouse sourly knowing that his bastard brother had been privileged to the same sight before him.

Cleaned to her apparent satisfaction, Kuroi walked out of the river, wringing her hair as she did. After a glance around, she went and stretched out face down on a warm rock, calling up, "You burned all of the clothes I brought here if you remember, so technically my clothes are unusable." 

"Those clothes you discarded are…were the finest apparel a Lady could ask for. Your handmaidens all came highly recommended and the hair dresser has set the curls of empresses. How could you be so un…" he searched for the right word, "satisfied?"

A sleepy voice called back clearly, "Because I never asked for them baka boy." The last two words were mumbled into her folded arms which she was using as a pillow.

Sesshomaru was displeased, greatly. Jumping down to land soundlessly beside the rejected clothing, he picked up the sodden mass. Ruined. His eyes narrowed to slits at the contempt shown to such costly items. 'Who does she think she is?! I could have any youkai from peasant to princess screaming to take her place, and she…she…argh!' Flinging the clothes away in disgust, he glided over to her intent on giving her a sound lashing of every kind. He was brought up short by a small sound.

A sigh.

Frowning, he crept around until he could see her face clearly and almost tripped in shock. She was asleep!! Using his heightened senses, he made a quick check of her deep, even breathing and steady pulse to confirm that she wasn't faking.

She wasn't.

He could only stare down at her slack-jawed, eye twitching uncontrollably in amazement at the sheer audacity being tossed in his face.

Something cold and nasty inside of him wanted to be freed at that moment, truce be damned. In fact, the sound of emotional restraint giving way could be heard as he stood there quietly fuming down at this slip of a girl. He closed his eyes as he struggled to keep himself under control. 'A quick swipe of the claws,' he thought darkly, 'just a little poison miasma and I'd be rid of her. To hell with that silly little truce. I'd be free.' 

He didn't consciously realize he was reaching out to fulfill those impulses until his hand touched her shoulder. At the contact, his eyes flew open to stare at the point of connection that suddenly seemed to be the focus of his entire being.

Was it his imagination, or did the world just hold its breath? That mental voice was screaming again…only now there were two of them.

'Move your hand away.'

Wow she's so soft.

'Move your hand away.'

I wonder if that's true all over?

'Moveyourhandawaynowgoddammit!'

Treacherously, the hand chose to move closer instead. Lightly, so as not to awaken her, he stroked his thumb across the soft ivory flesh. Warm and fragrant, with a texture smoother than the discarded silks that had adorned her, it was oddly dry considering her recent immersion. Golden orbs traversed the length of her body as it relaxed against the sun-warmed stone. A thick cascade of knee length hair made a modest blanket, but the sheen and shadows of it highlighted every dip and curve the inky strands covered, still rendering the illusion of nudity. Somehow, the distant sight of her nude wasn't quite the same as being up close touching her.

From somewhere a breath of wind knocked aside a silken tress to show the swell of a now exposed hip. His breath caught in his throat as the afternoon breeze teased him with her scent. Clean, fresh and smelling faintly of peach blossoms. Standing there staring and smelling her all around him, he felt something else slipping like quicksilver through his careful restraint.

Desire.

Not the faint physical twinge he sometimes experienced from seeing a particularly pretty girl. No, this was swift and hot enough to sear the air from his lungs. The treacherous thought that soon she was to be his and his alone to claim didn't help the heat in the least.

Why were his feet shuffling closer to her? Looking down he realized he didn't remember taking that last step. Pain flared bright as he bit the inside of his mouth to distract his body from its goal. He had to get out of there now!

'This is insane!' Wrenching his hand away, the young Lord took to the air to return home. He would rather have licked the soles of his brothers feet in apology than admit that he desperately wanted to turn around and ravish the girl until they couldn't even remember how to breathe.

"FUCK!"

A dark blue, horned head peeked out of the water after the lord left and muttered sadly, "You really shouldn't be so mean to him sis. He is going to be your husband."

Kuroi opened clear, focused eyes and gave a smile of supreme self-satisfaction to her little brother as he dragged himself out of the river. After years spent palling around with Inuyasha, she'd learned a few body tricks to fool even the heightened senses of an inu youkai. Faking sleep was just the tip of the iceberg. "I know, but he's just so damned cute when he's angry Kiso." She couldn't suppress a chuckle as she sat up, her hair draping across her as she did.

Folding himself up to sit next to the rock she was on, he frowned down at her, "How can you tell he's angry? I never saw his expression change once."

Turning with a thoughtful look to face the direction her intended had fled, she whispered back, "I just…do."

Kiso snorted and pulled a magically dry bundle from his robe before tossing it at his sister's head. "Here, put some clothes on you hentai."

Night

Gentle hands were stroking her hair. Smiling, she snuggled closer to the warmth. A deep rumble vibrated into her body from without, dragging her from her sleep. Bleary-eyed, she frowned and focused. Amber eyes stared back.

"Inu?"

"Hey." Brushing his lips across her forehead, he pulled her a little closer, still stroking her hair and back. "Kagome told me about the letter."

Kuroi wanted to roll her eyes. 'She wasn't supposed to say anything to you!' but there was no real malice in the thought. Kagome loved him as much she did so she wouldn't want him to suffer. Tracing a worry-line by his mouth, Kuroi guessed that he had been. Hurt colored his voice and echoed in her soul, confirming the suspicion, "Why didn't you want her to tell me you came back here? I was worried."

His hand fisted slowly at the nape of her neck, drawing her head back so he could bury his face in her hair piled between her shoulder and the bed. She just held him, trying to send wordless comfort as he inhaled her scent and confirmed to his heart that she was really there. Trembling from the heady rush of sorrow replaced by joy, his voice was thick and warm against her shoulder. "I didn't know where you were! If you were hurt, or dead or anything!"

His words mirrored hers from earlier so closely that she nearly wept. Kuroi knew what he'd felt for the whole day when she'd left without a word. After all, she had felt it for five years after he'd been released from the tree. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she positioned her head under his chin, breathing in his scent as well. It was never her intention to make him feel like that.

"I'm sorry Koinu. I just didn't want you and your brother to get in another fight." A shuddery breath tickled her scalp as he guffawed. "No, I'm serious. I know you Inu, and frankly I'm surprised you didn't try to kidnap me while I slept and take me with you." From the way his hand paused on her spine, she guessed the thought had occurred to him. 'Bless you for the restraint Koinu.' Giving him a quick squeeze, she closed her eyes smiling.

After a moment of comfortable silence, he whispered into the dark, "Kuroi? He didn't…he didn't try to…hurt you?"

Her eyes flew open as she frowned at the sense of wrong his words invoked. Inu sounded so tense, almost afraid to voice the question aloud. "Sesshomaru? No, he didn't hit me. That was the stupid platter." With a breathless laugh, she started to let her lids drift down again. A finger tipped her head back while honey hot eyes scanned her face.

"No, I mean…I mean did he…try to…hurt…you?" Something about the way his gaze shifted clued her in to what he was trying so badly to ask.

"No, no! Oh god no! No!" Cupping his face, she shook her head to deny it again. "No! He's an ass, but he's never touched 'stroking your shoulder by the river' me."

Not willing to give that traitorous thought a closer look, she trailed a hand across Inuyasha's forehead. "I am safe and whole Inu. Don't worry." Scooting up, she kissed his chin and dipped back under it. "I love you too Koinu."

"I'll protect you Cuckoo, I promise."

Once again, they passed the night in each other's arms.


	11. Week Two: Day One

Week Two

Day One: Morning

Kagome smiled down at the little kitsune held in a pair of massive arms. Currently perched on the broad shoulder of Lord Yamatsu, she thanked him again for the ride back to the cottage.

He flashed her a smile that reminded her so much of Inuyasha, "No problem Kagome. I was in the area and I thought I'd see if Shippo wanted to come with me for today. One of the youkai villages has a fire cat weaning her kittens and I thought he might like to see them."

The kitsune in question quivered excitedly. "Oh please mom, please can I go with him?" Large eyes pleaded with her. She giggled, touched by the endearment and nodded, "With that face, how can I possibly say no?" Turning to look around, she marveled at how quickly companionship with hanyou and youkai had become for her. Take Lord Yamatsu.

While outwardly his features were pleasantly human, save for the white hair and pointed ears, he currently stood at a towering twelve feet tall. That could change depending on his wants or the situation. But he was as gentle as a puppy, despite what Inuyasha had told her a few days ago. Thinking about the story and comparing it to the happily smiling man carrying her, she was hard pressed to meld the two.

The image of the large Lord on his haunches in the pose Inuyasha favored sometimes brought a fresh round of giggles though.

A bushy brow rose as Yamatsu peered up at her with bright golden eyes. "And what is amusing you so much little daughter?" he asked with a smile. She laid the nearest arm behind his neck and squeezed gently, "Nothing largest father. I was wondering about you and Inuyasha."

At the mention of his son's name the Lord sighed. "I wish I knew why he held such vehemence against me. The other night probably didn't help, but by gods those boys drive me crazy sometimes! I did everything I could to protect his mother and him when he was growing up." Sadness colored his voice as he absently ruffled the kitsune's head. "After she died, I guess I did pull back from him a little. I still came around, but that damned Wolf Lord Gorotsuki was nipping at one of my borders, so I couldn't stay as long as I wanted to."

He mused thickly, "I wonder if he thinks I failed him?"

Sighing, Kagome turned slightly to give his neck a proper hug. "He doesn't hate you." she whispered, "He just doesn't understand."

A familiar snort made her smile, "He understands what he wants and he always gave me the impression that I wasn't something he wanted." Ducking under a low branch, the youkai resumed his ground covering pace. Shippo shook his head, "He wants to understand you grandpa Yamatsu, trust me. Inu-baka is just too stubborn to admit it."

Yamatsu's chest shook with a deep rumble of laughter. "He got that from his mother. She was quiet and reserved, but had a temper like a demon!" His gaze turned wistful as he scanned the heavens, "I miss her."

Following his line of sight to the clear skies overhead, Kagome said, "So does Inuyasha."

Afternoon

Inuyasha scratched his head. What the hell was this stuff? He'd taken a minute while Kagome was visiting Kaede to look at some of her textbooks. The one she said was 'math' looked like the biggest collection of gibberish ever recorded. With a disgusted 'feh' he put it back and pulled out the next one. This one was marked 'History'.

Glad that this was her last semester before graduation, he flipped the book around in one clawed hand. She'd told him that she wanted to stay here in the feudal era with him and their friends. "We're family." she'd told him. It made him smile thinking about it. Now all he needed to do was make sure his claim on her was recognized by both man and youkai alike.

"Marriage for the human side, kids for the youkai. Both permanent enough that even that idiot wimp of a wolf Kouga will finally get the hint." Pushing the bag to the side, he glanced back down at the book in his hands. History. His potential pup's future.

An image of Kagome laying next to him, arms wrapped around the swell of their unborn child sprang into his mind so clearly he felt he could reach out and touch it. 'My child.' Repeating it out loud brought a smile of longing to his lips. "Yeah, I like that."

With a snort he headed for the door. As their father-to-be, he had a duty to check out how their world would change. 'Good logic' he thought and took that book and headed outside with it. At the door, he turned back and replaced the book instead. Leaving it behind, he made his way to a tree and gazed at the sky overhead.

The future would be what it was meant to be. It wasn't his place to know. Trying to change things out of their natural course was what Naraku did, and the thought of doing anything like that bastard disturbed him.

It was his place to love and protect his new pack and the family that Kagome represented to him. An effortless jump took him to a sturdy limb. Settling back, he closed his eyes. Besides, he'd much rather imagine the future the two of them had together.

"There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook, ook!

There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook, ook!

Monkey in the middle, monkey in the middle,

Yes, there's a monkey in the middle of the room! Ook, ook!"

Singing happily, the future Lady of the west hung upside down from a tree by her knees and munched on bananas.

naptime

Today had been really nice. Kagome yawned and stretched pleasantly from her nap to reminisce. Inuyasha and Lord Yamatsu had sat down and except for a few bouts of yelling, they'd actually talked. In fact, the two of them had arranged a get together later in the week to talk some more. The day had been perfect, except for Sesshomaru.

Snuggling further against the warm body behind her, she wondered why the reserved youkai had seemed so distraught to her. He had been as rude and condescending as usual, but she felt his heart hadn't really been in it. Then he'd left just as suddenly as he had come, leaving Inuyasha confused but relieved. Lord Yamatsu had just seemed really angry.

A lazy growl against her shoulder made Kagome smile as the arm around her waist tightened. 'Silly puppy.' she mused and rolled over to kiss Inuyasha gently. The growl paused before deepening as he returned the kiss. Warmth fluttered across her chest and stomach as she felt herself responding. Pulling away for a shuddery breath, she was about to resume when a gurgle made her stop. Turning her face away in confusion, she blinked, frowning while trying to place the sensation.

Inuyasha opened his eyes sleepily and watched the play of emotions on her face with concern. "Kagome what…?"

"Oh god move!" she screamed wide-eyed and shoved away before the surprised hanyou could act. It took him a minute to recover from the shock and bound out of the bed after her. A sharp tang in the air and splattering noises traced her to the back door where she was being violently sick.

"Jeez Kagome, I told you those mushrooms looked funny." the barb didn't come out with quite the force he'd intended as he rubbed her back soothingly. A quick sniff verified that she didn't smell sick, even as another heave racked her body under his hands. So what was wrong?

"I don't feel so good…" she moaned weakly and slumped against the door frame. Pressing her hand against her head made some of the nausea fade, but her stomach still roiled treacherously. Almost whimpering as she clutched it, her only thought was how heavy she suddenly felt. 

Strong hands pulled her into the circle of comforting arms. "Shhh. It's okay, we'll ask Kaede what's wrong. That old woman can fix it." He tucked her under his chin and rubbed her back slowly. When she whimpered again, he cursed and held her tighter.

"Maybe it's a flu…" she mused weakly. Damn, why was she so sleepy all of a sudden? A large yawn only confirmed her lassitude.

"Come on, I'm taking you and putting you back to bed." At her half-hearted protest, he snapped tensely, "No fucking arguments! I'm going to go get Kaede, 'cause you don't smell sick so there's something else wrong and she damned well better find a way to fix it!"

Wrapped in loving arms, Kagome nodded off before she even hit the sheets.

Night

Shippo waited until Inuyasha left to hop into the room and lay next to Kagome. He'd been more than surprised when the pair had come bursting back inside with her in Inuyasha's arms. After he'd lain Kagome down, Inuyasha had practically bitten the cub's head off when the cub had ventured too near her.

The little kitsune never got a chance to come in later on after she'd woken up either. Kagome had tried to make lunch, Inuyasha had tried to stop her. Debating amongst themselves, as Kagome swung between violently ill and feeling normal all day, Inuyasha had finally left to go get something for dinner. Now that he was gone, the little guy took his chance.

Sniffing her delicately he rolled his eyes in disbelief as he remembered the haste of Inuyasha's departure. "Baka, she's not sick…" Clamping down on the urge to dance happily, he contented himself with curling up against her stomach instead. As he placed a small paw against her skin he whispered, "I'm going to take care of you so don't worry." before falling asleep contented


	12. Week Two: Day Two

Week two

Day Two

Sesshomaru was unhappy, extremely. After listening yet again to his fiancée and half brother pass the night before last together, he'd been livid. 'That damned bastard has spent two nights in her bed. Two! What have I done? Touched her shoulder and almost gotten brained by her. The way this is going, who knows what will actually happen in the marriage? By the time we die, I might have actually gotten to kiss her. If my brother isn't in the way!'

He seethed inside because although the two being together was troubling, he knew they had done nothing but sleep. Declared an undying love for one another sure, but no tangible acts of that 'love' had followed. The fact that there had never been the heavy musk of arousal from the room bothered him all the more for its absence. Lust he could understand. What Kuroi and Inuyasha had was frankly beyond him.

He'd even tried to relieve some stress the usual way by taunting his brother and goading him into a fight. For some reason, Sesshomaru had felt the need to gauge just how strong a protector Inuyasha actually was. But the presence of their father and the shifting colors in the old Lord's eyes had prevented a good brawl from starting. Robbed of the normal means of venting, the young lord had gone and slaughtered a few sub-level demons.

The mindless killing spree had made him feel infinitely better.

However, the problem of his future wife still loomed heavily on his mind, so he'd created a new pastime to occupy himself.

Ever since the day by the river, he'd taken it upon himself to keep an eye on his bride to be. What he'd seen had only succeeded in confusing him more. She was uncouth, with a mouth that probably would have made his hanyou brother blush at its creative rudeness. She had no fashion sense, preferring a tacky shift-like robe to the various kimonos and silken apparel he had ordered for her. Her eating habits were queer at best, especially that banana/tree thing, and she rubbed elbows willingly with the lower servants, even appearing to be 'friendly' with a few of them.

The low hum of a snarl was cut off before it could be heard by any passing servant. How was he supposed to marry that? Especially when she seemed to have absolutely no self control? She went wherever she wanted regardless of those around her or the propriety the location. The barracks where the guards stayed was her favorite place to be.

Sesshomaru Knew that he could find her there spending countless hours wrestling and sparing with the guards. While he admired her speed and prowess from afar, he couldn't condone her actions. They just weren't proper.

River bathing was one thing, but when she'd discovered his personal hot springs in the back woods he'd almost had a heart attack. Every time he tried to take a relaxing bath, she would suddenly appear in the water directly across from him. While bathing with a beautiful woman wasn't something to object to, it unnerved him that he couldn't sense her coming! One moment he was alone and the next there was a foot against his and the smell of peach blossoms.

She had no shame about herself either. Laughing at a joke or stretching, she moved herself as her limbs demanded regardless of the finite cover her short robe provided. It was as if she had no clue of how desirable she was.

He paused to orient his mind around that last thought. Yes, she was desirable but that was beside the point. A quick left around the corner sent him towards the front of the house which was nearly complete. Amazing what youkai builders could accomplish in so short a time. While admiring the work, his thoughts strayed back to Kuroi.

Snapping at a servant, he reflected that she hadn't done anything you could consider improper when she was around him. Just mildly infuriating. She asked questions all the time or insisted on telling him about her brothers and sisters and growing up with them. All twenty of them. While he wanted to find it boring, some of the stories she'd told had been…very amusing.

A slight smile touched his face. Especially the ones about Kiso. They were… With a curse, he put both a lid on his train of thought and a sizable hole in a new portion of wall before going outside. She was getting to him. Breaking that tight leash of control he had over himself and it was really starting to piss him off.

Kuroi laughed and swung through the trees still singing. Another great day to be outside! As she grabbed a branch and swung up onto it, she debated going to the barracks again. A good tussle sounded fun but what she really wanted was to go see Inu and Kagome. Thinking about the mound of clothes in her closet, she decided to take a load as gifts. 'Kagome and Sango would love them! Heaven knows I don't use them.'

Dropping to the ground, she sniffed herself and winced. "Bath time first." A mischievous giggle bubbled up as she skipped to the hot springs located just beyond the waterfall. Maybe she could sneak up on Sesshomaru.

It had become a game for her to catch the stalwart youkai by surprise. He'd been getting seriously irritated when he'd learned he couldn't tell when she came around. Coming to the spring, she pouted that it was empty but sighed in pleasure while she stripped. Leafy limbs hung low enough overhead to keep the intense rays of the sun from overwhelming a person, by didn't hinder the occasional breeze. Not to mention the fantastic view of the surrounding area from up here.

Not more than a few feet just past the stream, the waterfall dropped off, making a cloud-like mist that framed the distant mansion against a backdrop of the mountains and forests. 'Beautiful.' Taking a bucket from a natural stone bench, she rinsed herself off before getting in. The hot water soothed aching muscles as she slid in up to her neck and rested her head against a smooth stone. Moaning, she felt herself melt away in bliss and smiled. "No matter what, he is so not getting this to himself again."

"Then I might have to kill you after all."

Stiffening as she slowly opened her lids, Kuroi smiled hesitantly up at the narrow-eyed youkai. "How long have you been there Sesshomaru?" The bubbling water hid her body from view so she didn't worry that he would see something. 'Like he'd care if he could.'

Pressing lean fingers to his temple, he walked over to a flat rock. "Long enough to hear you lay claim to my personal bathing spot." He looked back at her thoughtfully. "Scoot over."

Amused, but not put out, she did. Neutral eyes widened slightly. She took the hint and turned around, but peeked from behind a curtain of hair.

Sesshomaru deftly removed his clothes as he turned away from her. Kuroi watched the play of muscles beneath his fair skin appreciatively. 'With Inu, there's such strong definition to his body. Sesshomaru is toned but leaner.' The way his forearms rippled when he folded his garment caused her lips to purse in speculation. 'Definitely a strong man, but the strength seems more honed and concentrated. I wonder how much he can actually carry?' A sudden image popped into her head, causing her to blush hard and avert her eyes.

Glancing her way after removing the last of his clothing, Sesshomaru noted her ruddy tint and frowned. "If it's too hot, you might consider leaving. I don't know if I could bring myself to rescue you." Sliding in opposite of her, he didn't even blink when she twisted and flicked a few drops in his face.

"I hope you sunburn." she remarked dryly.

"I have a really good healing rate, so I don't." A rag flew over and landed beside her. When she picked it up and gave him an unsure look, he moved towards the edge of the pool. Drawing a large portion of his silvery hair aside as he leaned over against the warm rocks, he answered evenly, "Do my back. Call it penance for using my spot."

She snorted, a gesture so like his brother's that Sesshomaru actually glanced around to look for him. Water lapped the stones as she positioned herself to fulfill his 'request'. Her fingers lightly gathered the rest of his hair and swept it aside to get full access to his neck and shoulders. The wet cloth rubbed over his shoulders with deep, experienced strokes and as Kuroi kneaded muscles he hadn't realized were tensed, he relaxed into her touch. A breeze blew the humid air aside, but it returned quickly, shrouding the two in a misty cocoon. After a while, he asked something that had been on his mind for the whole week.

"Why do you and my brother not make love to one another?"

The rag dropped away as if it had never existed.

'Only this unfeeling bastard could ask a question like that with a straight face.' The water seemed to be hotter than before, but she ignored it. She had called truce, and she meant truce.

Unperturbed by her silence, he angled his face to watch her surprise settle into a thoughtful expression. 'No guilt though, interesting.' he noticed. 'But it doesn't answer my question.'

"I hear the two of you declaring your love for one another often enough, I simply wondered why you never consummated it?"

"Because it's not like that!" Watching the rag bob along the surface of the pool, she moved as far away as the small spring would allow. "When I'm with Inu, I feel peace, love. A place where I'm whole again." She frowned and looked at the watchful eyes frankly, "I don't think I've ever once felt lust for him or anything like it. I've seen him unclothed as much as he's seen me, but we never evoked so much as a quickened heartbeat from it. We just, well, enjoy being around one another. That's all." She snagged the rag and brought it out. Piling her hair back on her head, she turned and offered her back to him.

"Do my back. Consider it penance for the rude question." A ghost of a smile played across his lips at how she'd turned his demand back on him.

Presented with the creamy expanse of her shoulders, he was almost reluctant to touch her. The scene at the river flashed across his eyes, hardening his resolve. He tried to put the same skill into washing her that she had shown him. 'After all, one shouldn't be ungracious and fail to return a favor. It's not proper.' The small smile wisped by his lips again.

"Kuroi."

Lost in the delightful sensation of the cloth covered fingers skillfully moving on her skin, she purred. "Hmm?"

"Will you…stop sleeping with my brother?" She glanced back confused. 'Did he almost say please?'

"But we don't do anything, you said it yourself. We just sleep."

The cloth stilled, then resumed. "Yes, but you smell like him for the rest of the day and it…irritates me."

At the revelation, Karol blinked. 'So that's why he's so damned testy!'

"Hold on." Sliding around to face him, she came within a few inches of his chest and laced their fingers together. Yellow and blue eyes met and held as she took a deep breath and instructed him softly, "Breathe."

Not knowing why, he followed her directions anyway. After the first whiff, his eyes glazed over and he staggered, but regained his footing in the steaming water quickly. Her fingers tightened automatically to support him, otherwise he was sure he would have drowned. As it was, it was taking everything Sesshomaru had simply to breathe.

Like the dawn her smell rose around them, filling his nostrils, fogging his mind, seeming to saturate his very soul.

Glazed as they were, his eyes lost all focus and the world around him simply ceased to be. There was only the touch of her hands against his and her scent, everything else was obliterated by its sweetness and purity. After what seemed like an eternity, it faded away but didn't disappear.

"How…?"

That shy smile he'd so often seen her bestow on his brother lit up for him. He felt strangely honored. "I learned after being around Koinu and other youkai in the army for so long that if I concentrate, I can hold in most of my scent." A self conscious laugh escaped as she pried her fingers loose and moved away. "It helps me not to get tracked. I can mask Inu's scent on me the same way, but I'll ask him not to sleep over so long, okay?"

After regaining his composure, Sesshomaru moved away and watched her thoughtfully. "You surprise me everyday." Leaping fluidly from the water, he wrapped himself in a towel and flew away. Kuroi scratched her chin. "Now what was that supposed to mean?"


	13. Week Two: Day Three

Week Two

Day Three: Morning

"Inuyasha, I'm fine!"

"No you're not! Get back to bed!"

"I said I'm FINE!"

"GET in BED BITCH!"

"SIT BAKA!"

SLAM "Fine Kagome, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Thank you I won…" retch

smirk "Told you."

Afternoon

"Lady Kuroi?"

"Yeah Midori?"

"Um, I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Is…is sir Kiso promised…to a young lady?"

grin

blush

Jaken paced the room nervously as he awaited Lord Sesshomaru's return later that night. His staff made scuffing sounds as he dragged it across the floor. Two weeks. It had been barely two weeks since Kuroi had moved into the mansion and effectively turned it on its head. In all that time, no one had learned anything about her that she wasn't willing to tell. He'd even done his best to appear friendly, but she'd snorted and told him to go back to his master and quit trying to pry.

"The explosion and damage to the house, the rumors flying all over, and that thing with the clothes! She is trouble!"

A deep sigh escaped him. She got along with master Yamatsu quite nicely, as well as the lower staff. It was with the head servants that the frictions arose. She'd terrorized almost every single one of the handmaidens who came near her or her room. Youkai or not, they all trembled in fear at the thought of being around her or in her line of sight. Only Midori, Ki and Aka came near her, but in his personal opinion it was because they were too stupid to know better.

The poor hairdresser who now had to wear her own wigs since being scalped by the future Lady of the west after a burn on the ear, also refused to come back.

Soft sobs escaped as Sesshomaru's retainer remembered the fate of the dressmaker. He'd hung himself with a bolt of cloth when Kuroi had told him what she wanted to wear instead of the court fashions he'd shown her. But the height of disgrace had been a week ago at the dinner party where Lord Yamatsu had introduced her to the rest of the family.

When Lord Yamatsu had introduced the former Lady Ukiyo, the immediate family had smiled in the Lord's presence, but whispered maliciously when she'd been alone and out of his range of hearing. Nervous and a little intimidated, Lady Ukiyo had borne the taunts and slings in pained silence.

Not the Lady Kuroi.

When someone had spoken a bit too loudly about the family 'marrying down again', she'd snapped. Kicking her finely crafted shoes to the nether regions of the room, she'd snatched off her carefully coiffed wig and flung it to the ground before stripping down to her under robe and grabbing a sword off the wall. After getting armed and unclothed, she'd stood on the table and issued a challenge to the whole room.

Jaken still felt a bit woozy when he recalled her exact words.

"Anyone of you misbegotten bastards who has a problem with me can come meet me in the courtyard if you even have the balls needed to be called true youkai!! I promise, if any of you motherfuckers survive that I will never tell that you got the shit kicked out of you by a mere human girl!"

Her eyes had been colder than the blade she had held, "But, if no one comes, then the whole lot of you whispering mealy-mouthed sons of bitches can just kiss my ass!!"

Challenge issued, she'd walked through the sea of growling forms and out to the courtyard with a bottle of wine in hand. Unconcerned, Kuroi had sat down to await the challengers. Needless to say, there had been a **LOT **of them.

Expecting to see the future bride eviscerated with extreme prejudice, the rest of the family instead bore witness as she dispatched the challengers in a way that was frightening for its speed, ferocity and apparent ease. Lord Yamatsu had arranged a impromptu mass funeral for the ones who refused revival with the Tensaiga, after which Kuroi had inexplicably proceeded to get as drunk as possible and pass out in the corner of the room.

The bloodied sword had still been clutched in her hand!

With a howl of aggravation, Jaken stopped and shook his tiny fist in the air. "That woman is impossible! She drinks like a fish, swears like a sailor and fights like a demon possessed!! Where in the nine hells did Lord Yamatsu find her?"

"That is what you are supposed to tell me, Jaken." the voice near his ear whispered in calm tones.

"ARRGH!! L-Lord S-Sesshomaru! I didn't hear you come in." shrieked Jaken as tried to stop his hammering heart. Half-lidded eyes dismissed his comment as the young Lord swept into the room. "As if you ever could." Discarding his over robe, he sat down fluidly to regard the garden outside his bedroom window. Still and serene in the moonlight, he wished he felt half as steady as it looked.

"Jaken, you are supposed to be my advisor on those rare moments when I have a question for you." A steely gaze locked onto the trembling youkai, "My question is simple, even for you. Who is Kuroi Hana?"

Though mild, Jaken knew from the subtle inflection of a word that his Lord was very, very angry. He hurried to reassure his master, "I-I will do my best to find out my Lord. No stone shall escape my diligent search for the answer." Beginning to really warm up to the grandness of his speech, Jaken practically danced in enthusiasm. "I shall not fail you in this duty my Lord. I shall not rest until…"

"Just go Jaken."

Cut short of what he felt was one of his better declarations, Jaken visibly deflated. "Y-Yes my Lord." and slunk out of the room.

Sesshomaru waited until all of his senses confirmed that he was alone before slumping against the wall. His head hurt. Worrying the inside of his cheek, he watched the silent night. Too many scents coupled with constantly fighting the urge to just let himself go were probably the cause. The whole thing with Kuroi wasn't helping either. She was starting to become…delightful. 

Stopping before he chewed a hole in his own face, Sesshomaru sighed. Kuroi was infuriating, but intelligent. Talkative, but not boring. Shameless, but there was a definite sense of purpose to her that was as innocent as it was unshakable. There was nothing cowardly about her, especially not after that dinner party. It had taken everything he had and some newly discovered reserves not to applaud and kiss her right then. He'd finally seen what his father had. A fierce mate worthy of him. It made him tingle thinking about it.

Now, if he could just do something about his brother.

Dressing himself slowly, Sesshomaru prepared to go to dinner.


	14. Week Two: Day Four

Week Two

Day Four: Morning

"Oh, hello. I thought Kuroi was here."

blush "Greetings sir, she'll be back soon though."

"What is your name?"

harder blush "Midori."

smile "Has anyone ever told you that you are a very lovely shade of green?"

red "No sir."

"Please, call me Kiso."

smile

Afternoon

"Look bouzo, don't try anything stupid around her, understand?" Arms folded before him, Inuyasha scowled at Miroku. The monk didn't know whether to laugh or weep. His friend was back to his usual grumpy self and Kagome didn't seem in the least put out. According to Inuyasha, she'd been having bouts of sickness for the past few days, but so far she seemed to be feeling fine. She and Sango had stayed at the cottage while the two guys went on a small hunt.

Miroku knew that Inuyasha was really meeting Kuroi.

"I promise to be on my best behavior Inuyasha. After all, I am a holy man." He flashed his most winning smile to signify his sincerity. Inuyasha didn't bat an eye. "Hands off hentai."

"But he has such nice hands Inu!" two arms wrapped themselves around the startled monk's neck from behind and squeezed. He smiled dreamily when the lovely body attached to them bounced up and down is concordance with her enthusiastic greeting. "Hi guys!"

Kuroi let go and came around when the growling got too loud to ignore. Miroku swallowed nervously and blessed her. The hanyou glaring at him looked as though he could crack boulders with his looks alone. However, he still needed to return the greeting properly.

"Greetings Lady Kuroi, it is a pleasure to see you again." Violet eyes noted that she once again wore a short, sleeveless robe that showed off her supple arms and legs nicely.

He mentally blessed her again.

"What would you like to do today?"

Tapping a finger against her chin, she proclaimed brightly, "Go see Kagome!" Before either man could protest, she leapt into a tree and headed for the cottage.

"SHIT!" Fists clenched, Inuyasha took off after her. Miroku sighed patiently and followed at a more sedate pace. "He really does have issues when it comes to those two."

Sango considered herself a patient person. After the last few years with Miroku, who wouldn't be? However, she thought even a saint would be tried by Inuyasha.

"SIT THE HELL DOWN!" Covering her mouth from the uncharacteristic outburst, she repeated herself in a more normal manner. "Inuyasha, please sit still. You're giving me a headache."

"Yeah, yeah. Hold on a sec." Still not landing as requested, he instead continued trying to hover like a mother hen by both Kagome and Kuroi. The taijiya sighed. It wouldn't have been so bad if both girls were on the same side of the table, but they weren't and it gave the impression that the hanyou was pacing. A yelp sounded out as Kuroi caught the edge of his hakama and tripped him.

"Stay still Inu or I'll hit you!" he muttered something nasty into the floor.

Turning a shy smile to the amused girl across from her, Kuroi wrinkled her nose cutely. "I'm sorry about the letter. Maybe I shouldn't have left the way I did, but I didn't want a repeat of the last time Sessy and Inu met." Looking around at the others, her smile seemed to fade a bit. "I wouldn't want any of you to get hurt because I know how much you mean to Inuyasha."

Touched, Kagome reached out and clasped the girl's hand. "Thank you Kuroi, but we've been fighting demons and youkai for a long time together." Rubbing Shippo's head, Kagome gave a little laugh, "I'm sure we could even give Sesshomaru a run for his money!"

Inuyasha grumbled something rude from the floor. Kuroi pinched his arm. Leaping away from her before she could give him another one, he yelled. "Damn it Kuroi, that hurt!"

"Bite me baka boy."

A clawed finger pointed at her accusingly. "This is why I didn't want you two to hang out together. Now you're being as big a bitch as she is!!" Two sets of blue eyes narrowed into slits. Sango and Miroku looked at one another before they bid a hasty good bye and left. Gulping as he backed up slowly, Inuyasha thought, 'This can not be good.'

"Kagome, how does that necklace work again?" Darkening steadily, Kuroi's eyes looked like flecks of smoky ice.

Kagome's were almost black. "Like this. SIT!"

BAM!

"…nagging old women…"

"SIT!"

"BAKA!" pinch

"ARGH!"

Night

Sesshomaru sighed. He was sitting in his room meditating by the door overlooking an inner garden. Meditating, such a polite way of saying he was trying to get his shredded restraint back together. Even after all these years, he still found it hard not to laugh out loud at something or to openly show his displeasure. Now he couldn't even remember when he'd started doing it, or why it had been so important. After all this time, he felt himself trapped in what he'd created.

A calm, emotionless mask of his own design.

"You would think that I had it under control by now." he whispered tightly to himself. The problem with building a reputation like his was that you had to maintain it. It wouldn't allow change after this long a time, even if he was sick of it.

Glancing outside at the garden again to try and calm himself, he gritted his teeth in sheer frustration. He hated to admit weakness, even to himself, but he really _was _tired. Not just physically exhausted from holding himself upright in that pose of impossible regality, but mentally as well. Honestly, he was sick of being the model son of a demon Lord and heartily tired of being the strongest youkai in an encounter. He pinched the bridge of his nose and frowned. Just plain fucking tired.

Gentle laughter tickled his ears. Startled, he looked around to locate the source of it. Movement in the garden caught his eye. A flick of the wrist sent his light whip out to extinguish the lamp. Waiting a moment to see if the sound came again, he stood when it did. Moving silently, he slipped out the door and behind a tree close by. Thin slivers of moonlight illuminated the area poorly, but to his eyes it was as bight as midday.  
Where was the…there.

Long arms flowed through the air as she twirled slowly in a circle. Hair that had lain smooth and flat by the river, now trailed lazily behind her as she danced. Another twinkling laugh filled the air as she flexed and swayed to a music only she could hear. Graceful and almost ethereal in both form and motion, she sighed as a mellow breeze played down her body and filled his mind with the overwhelming smell of peach blossoms. Eyes closed in rapture, Kuroi raised her face to the moon and smiled. It was the most beautiful thing Sesshomaru had ever seen in his life.

The fact that she was doing it without a stitch of clothing was quite a sight as well.

At the moment, Jaken found himself squeezed around a large table and jostled rudely as food was grabbed at and raucous laughter filled the room. He felt himself growing wistful as the atmosphere of warmth flowed around him. Youkai families were not usually this close knit and it was becoming quite an enjoyable experience for him.

The thought crossed his mind that maybe he should just stop right here and not try to report back to his Lord. A shudder ripped through him. No. That was not even an option. Putting on his best smile, he turned to the aged youkai beside him, "So tell me again madam Shinaki, how did you find the Lady Kuroi?"

"Come and dance with me instead of just peeping silly." came the quiet invitation.

A little amazed that she'd sensed him, Sesshomaru stepped out into the open and tried to look as though shamelessly spying on naked young women was something he did regularly. Kuroi didn't even stop dancing as she turned to look at him with a bright smile.

"Hi."

Not wanting to admit just how disorienting the smile was, he scowled at her instead. "Why is it that every time I see you, you're unclothed?" Pulling off his top, he averted his face and held it out to her. Now she did stop dancing to tilt her head and stare at him. Walking forward languidly, she reached out towards the offered robe. Satisfied that she would take it, the stalwart youkai was startled to feel her hand set down gently on top of his and turned to look at her sharply.

Mistake. Those eyes, those beautify mystery filled eyes looked up at him sadly as she asked, "Have you ever danced like this beneath the moon Sesshomaru?" Stepping closer, she pressed herself against him, never once looking away, "Or lain exposed to the sun on a fair day?"

Unsure of what to do, Sesshomaru wanted to deny the very thought of him doing such things, but could only stare back feeling lost and confused. It didn't help that he was suddenly having difficulty breathing. "I don't understand you Kuroi." he admitted, startling himself. "You do not do things that are considered acceptable. Unlike my brother who does it because he does not want to do the acceptable, you seem to do only what you desire at that moment."

Watching the smile dancing at the corners of her mouth he wanted to know, 'Am I something you desire as well?' but he couldn't allow himself to ask. He didn't know where he found the strength to tear away from that probing gaze, but he found it easier to breath when he did. "Unlike you, I have no desire to do those sort of things Kuroi." Opening the robe still in his clenched hands, he draped it around her and started to move away.

A hand snaked around his waist to rest on the curve of his spine, stopping him.

Snapping his attention back on her he was unprepared for the crush of her mouth against his. Since she was a full head shorter than him, he wondered briefly how she'd accomplished that feat. Unconsciously, he wrapped his hands around her waist to hold her while his mouth opened to permit the tongue trailing lazily across his lips to enter. As she slipped into his mouth he entered hers and lost himself.

Peaches, oh god she tasted like spiced peaches. Tilting his head, he moved a hand to cup the back of her neck in order to deepen the kiss further. Lapping up her sweetness, he nipped the edge of her lips before plunging his tongue back inside. She shuddered against him and he felt her starting to slip away. 

Wanting to prevent the loss of that heated body pressed against his own, Sesshomaru shot out his other hand to steady her and pull her harder against him than he could have thought possible. When her hands trailed up his chest to thread themselves into his hair and pull herself closer still, a hungry moan poured out of him and into her mouth.

At the sound he pulled away abruptly, suddenly mindful of their location and what they'd been doing. With a muttered curse, he let her go and stepped back. Taking quick deep breaths, he pulled himself together even as his gaze took in the effects the kiss had had on her. Her chest heaved as she breathed the night air deeply, her skin flushed and nipples erect under his robe. Another scent mingled delicately with the fragrance of peach blossoms and almost made him moan again.

Arousal.

Pulling his robe closed around her, Kuroi smiled and touched her tongue to her swollen lips. "So you can feel something. I had wondered about that."

Her softly teasing words put a damper on his desire. Chilly eyes glared at her in indignation. Her comment, coupled with his earlier thoughts made them narrow dangerously. So, she did that only to test him? He'd be more careful in the future. With a cool 'good night', he turned on his heel and went back into his room, leaving her slightly confused.

When it was obvious he wasn't going to return, Kuroi shrugged and hopped up on the roof to take the aerial route to her room. 'Well, that went over like a virgin bride in labor.' she thought wryly as she leapt a ten foot gap between the tiled surfaces. Landing in the small side garden near her room, she opened her door and went inside. A quick scan confirmed that no one had been in there, so she went to her mattress and sat down.

Now she was more confused than ever. He'd liked the kiss, she knew that he had, so why had he stopped? He couldn't have been that put off by what she said could he?

The girl simply could not understand how he could keep that tight of a leash on himself. "He was ready, I felt it." Remembering the sensation of that coiled and sleekly-honed strength pressed up against her body caused an unfamiliar blush to touch her cheeks and a liquid heat to pool in the pit of her stomach.

"Ooh Sessy, you may be pretty but you are all man."

Wondering where the hell that thought came from, she frowned, "No, oh no. I can't like him already can I?" With a muttered curse, Kuroi rapped a fist lightly against the bedding. Laying down on the yielding surface, she thoughtfully reviewed the last two weeks at the mansion.

Every time she'd seen her future husband, he'd been so damned polite that she wanted to scream. Always asking how she was doing, but never really seeming to care. Listening to even the bawdiest tales without so much as a smirk. Nothing she did around him garnered more than an incomprehensible stare or worse, no response at all.

Not to mention that dinner party a week ago.

Groaning as she thought about it, she played with the sleeve of the robe. Okay, so maybe killing a fourth of the family was no way to get on someone's good side, but they had really pissed her off. All of those snide comments and back-handed jokes about her. "Mom was right, I need to learn to control my temper better. I'm probably coming across as wild as Inuyasha does sometimes."

Lord Yamatsu hadn't been angry. Sheesh, he'd laughed about no more freeloaders coming around, but Sesshomaru had just given her that long unreadable look. She huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. If he'd been mad or disappointed or something she could have dealt with it, but he'd just looked at her with nothing. Angry at the thought of marrying a living statue, she'd proceeded to get drunk while envisioning stabbing him with the sword to elicit _some _kind of response, even as she'd passed out.

The hangover had so-o-o not been worth it.

Rolling over on her side, she drew her legs up into the large folds for warmth. Kami knew that she had tried to get along with the other handmaids, but they kept touching all of her stuff! Yeah it was their job to help her unpack, but when you had twenty brothers and sisters who were youkai, you tended to get a bit volatile about people putting their hands on your shit.

Midori was okay though. The first time the handmaiden had reached for something of hers, Kuroi had growled low in her throat and watched in approval as the green hand smoothly by-passed the item to rearrange a flower. The girl learned fast. Aka and Ki just didn't touch anything at all.

As for the hairdresser... Playing with a silky strand of her hair Kuroi mentally apologized to the youkai since that was as far as the words were going. That bitch had burned her on purpose! Talking on and on about how human hair just wasn't as nice to work with as youkai. How it wasn't as soft and manageable.

With a fiendish smile, Kuroi wondered how that wig was working out.

The make-up woman was a complete fiasco. Looking like a giant doll had never appealed much to her personal sense of aesthetics, and looking like a gilded doll hadn't help it change. The two of them had ended up in a screaming match that had left the professional in a powder and lacquer-coated huff.

"All that powder made my nose itch and the nail-lacquer felt weird." Kuroi grumbled defensively into her arm.

Now the dressmaker had been an honest accident. He was supposed to design outfits around what she wanted, right? Well she thought she was being helpful by showing him the short and simple robe her brother had brought her and asking him to make more just like it. She thought he had agreed with her choice because he'd been pulling out a bolt of cloth as she left the room.

No one was more surprised than her when the news spread that he'd hung himself with it instead.

"This is not going well at all." she muttered miserably into the sleeve, marveling absently at the supple feel of it. "I was trying hard, I really was." Inhaling deeply, she wondered why she suddenly felt so relaxed. Sandalwood faintly tickled her brain even as it made her drift off. 'He smells so nice.' she thought as she slipped into the welcomed darkness.

Inuyasha wasn't a hundred percent comfortable at the moment.

Bounding through the forest on his way to Kaede's village to see if the old miko was finally free, he'd paused by his father's house to peek in on Kuroi. What he'd been treated to was a first row seat of the kiss between her and his brother. On any other day, he might have taken a minute to rain a few choice words on the pair, but he was in a hurry.

'Shit, she might actually like the bastard.' For some reason, the thought kicked up a protective urge that surprised him. With a shake of his head, the speeding young man plowed through a lone youkai that tried to block his way.

'Inuyasha, this is no time to get picky about the women in your life. Let the shit go.' As he pounced from tree to tree, he made a vow to sort it out at the first opportunity.


	15. Week Two: Day Five

Week Two

Day Five

Sesshomaru smiled blandly and greeted yet another high-ranking official. After the eightieth one, he'd begun losing track of the names. 'No matter, as soon as I smell them, it will come back to me.' His indifference wasn't perceived because his answers to the politely asked questions was always perfect. However, a few noticed that his eyes tended to stray across the room as if searching for someone.

If only they knew how right they were.

'Where is she? I gave Midori express orders to make sure the servants had her ready to come to this gathering.' Since standing before this crowd of human and youkai officials and delegates was as far from fun as he was likely to get, he couldn't bring himself to call it a 'party'.

"Father, have you seen her?"

Pulling his attention from a small group of old generals turned land-holders, Yamatsu shook his head. The two of them made a striking image side by side. Sesshomaru had donned his dress clothes for the evening. An all white kimono accented with scarlet and white bordered flowers at the flowing sleeves and shoulders. Light armor with a band of spikes at the shoulders and smaller ones in front and back was secured by a wide sash of purple and gold.

Yamatsu wore white as well, but the accents for him were jet-black inlaid with shimmering dark blue clouds. His armor was also adorned by spikes, but these were thicker and polished to mirror bright perfection. His sash was knotted to the side and colored scarlet and indigo. Both father and son carried swords with an air of ease and familiarity.

On whole, they were probably the most dangerous men in the room.

One becoming more so because he felt he'd been stood up. "I will return shortly. Excuse me." Bowing to the startled emissary, Sesshomaru went in search of his fiancée.

"Let go Inuyasha!"

"No, you have puked on me for the last time woman!"

"I said sorry baka!"

"You're going to bed, and you're not moving out of it 'til I say so!"

"BAKA!"

"BITCH!"

"SI…" retch "…sorry…"

"……I think I'd rather have been sat……"

Sesshomaru hit the corner in a blind fury. 'How dare she stand me up? After all that talk of truces and compromise? She's just as flighty as before and tonight of all nights!' Turning sharply, he ran over a green girl who looked strangely familiar. The hiss of snakes from her hair placed it.

"Midori, where is your mistress?"

Picking herself up from the fall, she looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Please sir, I don't know what's wrong with her!" A glance in the open door behind her made the young lord frown as he entered. Kuroi's body was slumped over in the middle of the floor.

Midori followed closely behind Sesshomaru, still in tears. "She was fine until just a few moments ago. I sent Ki and Aka for a healer, but they haven't come back yet!" As the young Lord knelt by the pale body she wailed, "Help her!"

"If you could be silent I will try." He pressed his fingers against her wrist, searching for a pulse and was alarmed by how erratic it was. For the first time he really looked at the prone girl. Her skin was white but hot to the touch, her body shivering and shaking as if deathly cold.

Gathering her in his arms, he laid her on the bed. Her heart could be seen pounding away beneath the delicate skin across her chest. "What has she eaten?"

Sniffling, Midori didn't answer until he grabbed her arms and shook her. "N-n-nothing! The Lady had a plate of spring rolls and some honey in her tea, but that was hours ago!"

Sesshomaru released her with the order to bring him a sample of each. Midori fled and returned quickly. A sniff confirmed no poisons or odd traces. Instead of hurling the pot and food away as he wanted, Sesshomaru handed it calmly back and dismissed the girl. By then, the healers had arrived. They conversed in hushed tones as they checked Kuroi over.

Someone had alerted Lord Yamatsu of the situation, so his son's absence from dinner would not be frowned upon. Sesshomaru was frowning enough for everyone in the building. One of the healers broke away and approached him.

"My most humble apologies, but there does not appear to be anything wrong with the Lady."

Looking over at the sweating and trembling form, the inu youkai hissed, "Are you blind? There is obviously something wrong with her and it is your job to correct it."

Glancing back at his fellows, the man bowed low, "We all know there is something amiss with the lady, however it is beyond our means to correct. Besides the obvious physical signs of distress, she is uninjured. She is also not poisoned, cursed, enchanted or any of the usual ailments that befall the wives of prominent Lords." the man spread wrinkled hands in supplication, "To be honest sir, we are at a loss."

A flick of a slim wrist dismissed them all. Hesitantly, Sesshomaru knelt beside her and laid a hand on her fevered brow. Kuroi whined softly and turned towards the touch. Pointed ears twitched as her heart gave a sluggish lurch before settling back to its frenzied beat. He stayed there for a moment longer before rising and going outside.

There was someone who could help her, or at least shed insight on her current state. Floating up, he turned and shot out in the direction of the miko who might be able to aid him.

Sneaking outside, Kagome picked her way carefully through the darkened forest to the well. This was one of those times when she was glad the cottage wasn't too far from her portal home. A twig snapped in the moonlit distance and she froze. Sending out a faint tendril of her power identified a small rabbit in the brush. Relief flooded through her body, making her light-headed and giddy.

'Thank goodness it wasn't Inuyasha.' the hanyou had gone to wash himself after her last 'episode' and would have flipped if he knew she was sneaking back home without telling him.

'I would tell him but he's so damned over-protective!' she thought with a guilty blush. Clearing the tree-line, she made a quick dash for the lip of the well. He caught her within two feet of it.

"Just so it's no surprise, I'm going to spank you." the smugness in his voice was insufferable.

"BAKA!"

Setting her on her feet, but still holding a hand, he pulled her close and kissed her warmly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, koi."

Slightly mollified by the kiss, Kagome was still angry at the ease with which he'd caught her. "Then come with me."

"No, it stinks there!"

"Hold your breath then!"

"No, now come back!"

"NO!"

"NOW!"

"Inuyasha, I need the woman's assistance."

Blinking at each other as if to ask 'Was that you?', they both looked up. Sesshomaru flew down to land not far from them. Inuyasha pulled out the Tetsuaiga and braced himself for a fight. Sesshomaru just stared. "Little brother, I have need of the miko and I have no time for foolishness."

"Fuck you."

"No thank you." Gliding over towards them, Sesshomaru stopped within sword range and held out both hands at his sides. "I am serious little brother. I have need of the woman and the matter is urgent."

Baring his teeth, Inuyasha snarled nastily. "What the fuck makes you think I'll let you take Kagome anywhere?"

"Kuroi is dying."


	16. Week Two: Day Six

Week Two

Day Six

He didn't want to be here. He did _not _want to be here. He _really _did not want to be here. He didn't want to fucking be _here_!!!

After his brother delivered the stunning news, Inuyasha leveled part of the forest in an effort not to rip his pale throat out. Sesshomaru looked on in silence For a short while and then flew back home.

Kagome hadn't tried to stop her beloved because she knew there was no time. While he raged, she went back to the cottage and gathered the herbs Kaede had taught her to use as well as her first aid kit. By the time she returned, he'd been both spent and scared.

The trip to his father's house was the fastest Inuyasha had ever done. All the way, he vowed over and over that if his brother had done anything to Kuroi, he would kill him. Father or no, he wouldn't rest until Sesshomaru was dead.

Upon arriving at the imposing structure he hadn't bothered with the front gate, but went directly over the wall and straight to Kuroi's room. Kagome had raised a brow about that bit of knowledge but remained silent. Landing in the garden, Inuyasha strode to the door and opened it. When they entered the room, he stumbled and almost dropped his love as the tide of panic drove him to the ground.

Kagome, torn between the patient on the bed and her faltering lover paused. Inuyasha motioned for her to go to Kuroi's side. Sesshomaru simply watched him with open curiosity and mild amounts of scorn. Inuyasha didn't care how his brother was looking at him. As much as it irritated him, his older brother was the least of his problems. It was taking everything he had just to stay on his feet and not whimper aloud.

He knew what was wrong, just like he knew that Kagome might not be able to help. Now he just had to keep himself alive to tell them. Pulling himself against the wall, he arranged his body in a semblance of normalcy and dropped down into the waiting darkness.

There was something seriously awry with the picture before him.

Kagome was glowing softly as she tried to ascertain the nature of Kuroi's illness but his brother hadn't moved from that ridiculous sitting position since his arrival.

Granted, the sight of his brother's near collapse had been amusing, but Sesshomaru had expected the hanyou to vault to the side of the girls and root himself there. Instead, he was lounging against the wall as though asleep. Slim nose wrinkling faintly, Sesshomaru resisted the urge to hiss. Something reeked of wrongness. Frowning as he moved over towards the bed, he resolved to see what the wrong actually was.

Time to test the theory.

Walking up behind the little miko, he laid a hand on her wrist. She nearly jumped out of her skin, but he only asked her quietly. "Do you think you can aid her miko?" Sesshomaru wasn't really listening for her answer, he was watching his brother.

Inuyasha hadn't moved.

'This is _very _strange.' He removed his hand and went to kneel by Kuroi's head. Once again, he laid his fingers lightly across her throat. Kagome glanced up and frowned but resumed her search.

Inuyasha didn't even twitch.

Now he knew something was wrong. Kuroi was ill and Inuyasha seemed catatonic. There was a mystery here the he vowed to solve before the night was over.

The world around him was red and far too bright. Blinking rapidly to hurry and adjust his eyes to the burning light, Inuyasha looked around. He couldn't find the horizon since it was lost in the stark and barren landscape surrounding him. Shielding his eyes against the harsh glare, he tried to locate what he'd come for.

Most people assume that you can find your way more easily in a flat terrain, since there are no hills or mounds of earth to block landmarks. They're wrong. At least with hills you have a goal or a way to judge the distance traversed. In a flatland, distance instantly became optional.

Although he knew the light, the terrain, even the dark red dust covering his feet was all an illusion, Inuyasha still found himself starting to sweat heavily. 'I've got to hurry. I might not last too long in this.' Resolved, he closed his eyes and turned slowly in a circle. One direction in particular pulled at something inside of him. Squinting once more against the false sun, he leaned forward and ran.

Kagome concentrated as hard as she could on Kuroi. Which was something that was hard to do considering how Sesshomaru and Inuyasha were acting. They weren't fighting, which was a first, but this was just as unnerving.

'One sleeps like he's dead and the other is watching him as if a will is involved.' the attempted joke didn't make her feel better in the least. Inuyasha's apparent indifference really was worrying her.

'Last week he tries to strap Kuroi to the bed over a few scratches and a bump. Now he's asleep and she's near death.' Her last thought was grim. Whatever else he had done, Sesshomaru hadn't lied. The girl was dying.

Placing her hand on a limp wrist, she felt for the bright surge of sky blue and cobalt energy she'd come to associate with Kuroi. Only a dim flicker remained. The girl's aura was dwindling, seemingly sucked away through an invisible void. Flicking away the perspiration beading her brow, Kagome dove in and bolstered the waning essence with her own energy while attempting to find the hole and somehow plug it.

The first thing she'd noticed were the traces of Inuyasha's aura buried throughout the girl's field. Some spots were old and solidly fused with Kuroi's own, while the newer traces still shone brightly but blended at the edge as they merged.

'It's so beautiful.' she thought sadly as she observed the mosaic created by the melding. 'No wonder they're so close. They have parts of each other with them all the time.'

Moving her hand over Kuroi's heart, she felt a familiar twinge. Curious, she opened her miko senses wider to identify it and went cold as the two forces touched. Over the same spot that Kikyo had shot Inuyasha, Kuroi bore a jagged black scar across her aura.

Kagome stiffened at the sight of that dark smudge in the field of blues and gold. 'How is that possible?!' Looking down at the shivering girl, she sent a tendril of power out to touch the scar, hoping to smooth it and ascertain if it was the cause of Kuroi's malady.

It flared red and purple, wildly fluctuating like lightning across water. Before she could pull away, it pulsed once more and became still. The reaction from the sleeping girl wasn't as sedate.

Nails ripped the blanket apart as Kuroi arched up until only her feet and top of her head contacted the floor. Tendons popped out in her neck as she let loose a horrible scream of utter torment. The ragged shreds of the cover clutched tightly in the fists were dyed crimson as the scars on Kuroi's palms opened and bled anew, swamping the room in the thick scent of heated copper. Even when Kagome was sure there was no way any breath could have remained in her lungs, Kuroi continued to scream and bleed.

Fearful for both the girl and of Sesshomaru's reaction, Kagome threw herself across the ramrod stiff body and flooded it with wave after wave of calming energy until it settled back onto the bed. When the death grip relaxed, Kagome saw that the wounds on her palms had resealed again.

'Mental note, don't go near that scar again!' Breathing a small sigh of relief, Kagome needn't have worried about Sesshomaru. He had his own problem.

As soon as the scream ripped out of Kuroi, he was on his feet to remove the startled miko from this level of existence. He never made it.

Inuyasha was on him in a blur of red and white before he could so much as blink. Sesshomaru's head snapped back from the fist connecting with his chin, but he rolled his body away to lessen the impact of the heel that grazed his chest.

Flinging his brother aside contemptuously as he started to openly question the hanyou's sanity, Sesshomaru stopped when he looked at his brother's eyes. They were empty.

Sending out a quick flash of his youki, he encountered the same nothingness. Wherever Inuyasha was, he was not in his body. Sesshomaru drew his sword to defend himself, but the body only swayed drunkenly. It made no other move towards him.

'Interesting.' taking a step towards the girls, he encountered a lightning fast backhand that sent him reeling across the floor. Wiping his bloodied mouth, the elder sibling narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Despite himself, he was impressed with the speed behind the blow.

'The spirit is gone, but the body still acts as a protector? This is beyond curious.' Wondering what would happen next, he sheathed his sword and sat down as far from the pair as possible to consider what he'd seen and if more was to be learned.

He was rewarded immediately. Lurching like a broken marionette, Inuyasha's body refolded itself back in the position it had originally occupied.

Yellow eyes tracked every movement. 'How could he move that fast with no soul to guide him? Could it be that all this time my brother's lack of fighting prowess was his own limitation? This is a theory that begs testing.' Noting that the screaming had stopped, he marked the matter for later study.

"What happened miko?" He didn't attempt to move towards the bed. Shaking almost as badly as her patient, Kagome looked pale and drawn. "I don't know. I tried to touch something and it reacted badly." Pushing back her damp hair, she glanced at him. "Could you please tell me where the extra blankets are?" A hand indicated the bloody tatters festooned across the floor.

Midori popped her head in and practically flew going to a closet, grabbing a blanket, draping it over her mistress, somehow cleaning away the shredded fabric and departing in one seamless move.

Kagome blinked.

Sesshomaru shrugged, "She is a good servant."

Wanting to giggle insanely, but fearing she'd never stop, Kagome turned her attention back to Kuroi. The scar stayed dull, but the flare from it had helped her locate the hole. It was directly over Kuroi's forehead between the closed eyes. Once more, she sent out tendrils of power to trace the fissure and seek a means of sealing it.

A bright yellow fragment nearby caught her attention. 'More of Inuyasha? Good grief.' she tapped the spot affectionately with her energy but focused on it in surprise upon contact.

'That's not Inuyasha.' While still yellow in color, Kagome could now see a paleness to the piece. It wasn't the deep gold she had seen before, this one was much lighter. 'Sesshomaru?'

She turned back and stared at the youkai with her gift. Yep, it was his. 'Now isn't that a curious thing?' For some reason, Kagome wanted to smile. She stopped herself and concentrated on the hole instead. It seemed simple now that she could actually see it. 'Time to do my thing.' Closing her eyes, she cupped her palms over the 'wound' and went to work.

Hot? Hot was paradise. He was in hell. Inuyasha's skin burned and peeled only to be rapidly replaced as his natural abilities healed him. The once satiny mass of silver hair now hung as limp and dry as straw against his back, forming an uncomfortably hot, clinging mass. He'd long ago discarded his coat and shirt. They weren't real, so why keep them?

The sensation guiding him pulled more strongly, but he didn't think he'd make it. Already bleeding, his feet were shooting needles of pain up his legs. He ignored it and pushed on. Swallowing convulsively, he blinked in an attempt to moisten his dust coated eyes only to have an oven-heated wind kick more into them.

Shit, she was not making this easy at all. Looking down at the dirty smudges covering him from head to toe, he shrugged and stumbled on.

Suddenly the sky overhead split and blackened, shaking the very earth beneath his feet. If he thought the light had been bad, the dark was so much worse. At least before, it had been painful clarity. Now there was only ice cold, oily blackness. Shivering at the dramatic change in climates, he flexed stiffened fingers as if he could rend the very air around him by will alone.

Lightning raced overhead, throwing the world into sharp relief and dazzling his eyes before everything was submerged back into darkness. With a pained gasp, the battered traveler grabbed his chest, staring wide eyed as his hand came away covered in something hot and sticky.

Inuyasha identified it as his own blood. "What the hell is going on out there?"

Picking himself back up, he pressed on. The sky continued to flash and from nowhere a howling wind started to blow, nearly knocking him flat. 'Fuck Cuckoo, could you make it any harder?' Now forced to a shuffling pace, he tripped and fell. Cursing everyone and everything he could think of, he saw a glimmer out the corner of his eye from the same direction as the tug.

He corrected his path immediately and crawled towards it. Above the wind threatening to deafen and freeze him, he heard someone moaning and crying incoherently. Inuyasha recognized the sound and headed for it. When he found what he was looking for, he knelt to gather the wizened and glowing blue flower in his hands. Lifting it to his mouth, he whispered into the frost-dusted bud, "It's alright. Let it go."

The world went white.

Sesshomaru had felt the miko look at him to identify the portion of energy he'd left with Kuroi before leaving to retrieve his brother. He knew she would be surprised, but it had been a logical choice at the time. If he hadn't left a supplemental source of energy, Kuroi would not have lasted until their arrival, tardy as it was.

However, it still begged the question of why he was trying to save the girl at all.

Dismissing it as unimportant, he continued to study his brother. Since he wasn't intently focused on the pair at the bed, he noted Inuyasha's resurfacing before the miko did. He sensed the return in the hanyou by the subtle rigidity of his limbs. 'His body is capable of more than he knows. I shall most definitely have to see its true limits.'

He didn't bother to hid the smirk on his face as he called mockingly, "Rise and shine little brother."

Kagome didn't realize she'd been holding her breath until it whooshed out of her. The rupture had healed and Kuroi's aura, though weak, was stable. A wave of dizziness stole the strength from her limbs. Collapsing back, she fell against a familiar set of arms.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, it's me." He glanced at the drawn form on the bed sleeping peacefully before looking back down at her. "How is she?"

"Fine now, but for a moment I thought we'd lose her." Gathering her sodden hair together, she twisted it to keep it away from her face. "She'll probably sleep a lot over the next few days, but other than that she's out of the woods."

Yellow eyes watched the pair coldly before Sesshomaru asked her, "What happened to her little miko?" Shaking her head, Kagome whispered honestly, "I don't know. There was a hole in her aura and all her energy was being sucked away. I managed to seal it, but I don't have a clue what caused it."

"I do."

Suddenly the focus of interest, Inuyasha faced away from his brother. This was going to suck. Muttering through a tightly clenched jaw, he asked sullenly, "Sesshomaru, what did you ask her to do tonight?"

The placid face never changed, but the eyes brightened with rage. "I know the two of you discuss me freely during your nights together, but that is beyond rude." He gained a sense of perverse pleasure at seeing Inuyasha pale and Kagome flush when the hanyou's night 'habit' was revealed. However, his name was being slandered and he wouldn't stand for it. "If you are implying that I tried to force myself on her little brother, I will kill you."

"No you fucking moron!" Snarling at the very thought, the hanyou spat out, "I meant did you ask her to do anything with you today?"

A slender hand gestured to the door leading into the mansion. "I asked her to join father and I in a formal meeting with some of the delegates and land holders in the territory. Since I knew she could appear the part of a proper hime once, I asked her to do so again."

"Feh, so that's it." Standing up and pulling Kagome with him, Inuyasha turned to leave. Sesshomaru frowned. He wanted to know what his brother's words had meant, but not at the price of _actually _asking so he waited in silence.

Inuyasha paused just before the garden door and swore loudly and violently. Spinning around quickly he got right up in his brother's face. "Look you obnoxious prick, the only reason I'm saying this is so Kuroi will be fine. Do not try to put her in the spotlight." He gritted his teeth and pushed the next admission out. "She has stage fright"

It was so ridiculous Sesshomaru almost let himself laugh. He settled a scowl on his face instead. "Do you mean to tell me little brother, that she caused all this disruption for a simple case of nerves?"

The right caught him unprepared, again. Inuyasha glared down at him, "Did that LOOK like a case of nerves to you asshole?! It's fucking serious!" disgusted, he squatted next to Kuroi and looked back and forth between his mate and brother. "She panics, badly. Some situations she handles better than others, but what you were asking must have been the other."

Kagome listened in fascination, even as her still transient sight watched fragments of Inuyasha feed into Kuroi's depleted aura. 'He doesn't even realize he's doing it, does he?' Rapid blinking returned her sight to normal. "But she was fine with Sango, Miroku and the others. Why today?"

His gaze shifted as he answered. "There were only a few of us to meet her. Besides, it's more the formal aspect than the size." he reached out and touched the back of a cool, flaccid hand. "In a way, she already knew you guys through me."

That brought Sesshomaru's accusations back to the forefront of her mind, making Kagome's heart suddenly ache. "Midnight rendezvous?" irritation seeped into her voice even as she felt the tears welling behind her eyes.

"No damn it! The same way I pulled her back from this attack!" He stood and walked to Kagome, pulling her stiff body against him. "She needed help, and I didn't know if you could save her alone."

Sesshomaru towered over them all. He'd been insulted and struck more than once by his brother without retaliation. Enough was enough. "Spit it out hanyou because I am rapidly losing my patience with the two of you and your cursed secrets!" He didn't bother to restrain the exasperation he knew was seeping out in his energy. He was pissed and they had a right to know it.

Kagome gasped as she felt the tide of power flowing out of Sesshomaru. 'He's never reacted like that before! He's always been so reserved.' Summoning her courage, she locked her eyes on the youkai. "Inuyasha and I are here because you came to us Sesshomaru."

"I am fully aware of my actions little miko." Setting a neutral expression on his face, he cut his energy abruptly and looked down at the still sleeping figure. He felt his rage evaporate when she sighed peacefully.

'She is fine now.' the corner of his mouth quirked up. 'Have I become so used to her then?' He glanced over his shoulder still wondering.

"The fact is that I wish to know how to prevent this from occurring in the future." Glancing at his still scowling sibling, he took a seat by his intended's dark head and watched the two before him. "I wish to understand this."

Only twice in his life had Sesshomaru been civil to him, and they were happening on the same day. Inuyasha wondered briefly if the world was going to end soon. Taking a seat, but making sure he was near the exit, Inuyasha tilted his head slightly. "Fine. I'm only going to tell you once and don't interrupt or go stupid on me."

Biting back an obvious response, Sesshomaru dipped his head a fraction to indicate his understanding.

"This bites." Folding his hands into his sleeves, Inuyasha waited for Kagome to take a seat before he began. Even so, his tone was tense, "Kuroi has panic attacks in some situations. I've never been a hundred percent sure what sets her off, but from what I gathered over the years, she gets hit with them the most in formal situations. Inns, bars, brawls and mayhem in general doesn't faze her. Throw a dress and propriety in the mix and she freaks." his lips quirked, "The flower wilts."

Despite the warning, Sesshomaru felt the need to point out what seemed an inconsistency, "What about the dinner with the…recently deceased family?"

Ignoring the interruption, Inuyasha drawled sarcastically, "Was that the dinner party on the third day she was here?" When his brother nodded, Inuyasha smirked, "She'd been by to see me that night. It probably calmed her enough to go." Thinking about what she'd said happened, the smirk grew, "It really helped that they pissed her off! Nothing snaps her back from an attack like getting seriously ticked."

'Since the truce, we haven't argued once. Could that have staved this off?' Flicking his gaze downwards to verify that she still slept, Sesshomaru mulled over the idea silently. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as if he knew what his brother was thinking, but he didn't comment.

Instead, he looked at Kuroi as well. "I haven't been back here for days and the last time she came by, she seemed fine." He closed his eyes briefly, "Shit. I wish I'd known you and that old fart were gonna do this today. I might have been able to help." Tawny orbs softened, "She wouldn't have gotten so bad."

"That promotes the question of how you brought her back, doesn't it Inuyasha?" Shadowed by his bangs, Sesshomaru's eyes were hidden. His tone still irked. Inuyasha growled under his breath. He really did not want to be here. "She and I can sort of travel around in the other's souls."

Sesshomaru didn't blink. "You project into the other's astral field? That would explain your earlier behavior."

"Yeah. I found her and convinced her it was okay to return to her body, but not before going through four kinds of hell." Reminded of the phantom pain in his chest, Inuyasha leaned forward aggressively, "Fuck Sesshomaru! What the hell happened out here to her anyway? Somebody hit something that hurt like hell while I was under!"

A slender finger pointed in silent accusation. Inuyasha whirled to look at Kagome. "You did it?" disbelief shadowed his voice, "What happened?"

"I tapped a scar in her aura over her heart. It felt familiar, but reacted badly." Did she sound as numb to him as she felt? Kagome wasn't sure she could speak further without real effort.

"Jagged and dark?" He didn't seem to notice her reluctant nod even as she got up and left because his gaze was refocused on his brother. "Kikyo's fucking arrow." Sharp claws drew blood as they bit into the meat of his palms. Damn that undead bitch! Her holy arrow had imprisoned him, but even gone it was still wreaking havoc and misery. When he spoke, the hanyou's words were tight, "I felt it when I was here before but I thought I was just imagining it."

"Inuyasha, your shortcomings aside, how can these attacks be prevented from happening again?" Sesshomaru pinched the bridge of his nose. Souls melding or flaming, he didn't care, he just did not want it to happen to her again.

The hanyou froze, barely breathing. He did NOT want to be there! "Sesshomaru, promise me something." barely audible, his brother still heard the whispered words clearly.

"A promise to you?" Enjoying the sudden discomfort of the other, he raised a brow mockingly. "What could I possibly do for you, little brother?"

"First, stop fucking patronizing me! Just promise me you'll do this right." Lowering his voice, he looked away after his brother nodded. 'I hate this shit.'

"You have to sleep with her."

There was that special silence again.

Kagome had been sitting silently through the whole exchange, barely listening and only answering by rote. She was too busy trying to rationalize the hurt she felt inside. Inuyasha had been sleeping here? In Kuroi's bed no less!

She seethed inwardly, remembering all the times since the other girl had arrived that she and Inuyasha had made love. Her stomach turned. He'd been sleeping with another woman the whole time, even bringing her around to meet Kagome and the group? Tears sprang unbidden and she used a sneeze to excuse their presence.

Why hadn't Inuyasha told her? A moan was stifled as she realized that she'd sent him to Kuroi the day the letter came. Had he gone that night? Slipped from the bed they shared into hers? Suddenly feeling hollow, Kagome peered through her bangs at the prone figure in the side of the room.

A probe of that scar, just a harder nudge than before. Grim satisfaction bloomed when she remembered how the girl had screamed from just a flicker of power across that vulnerability. Something harder could kill her. That's all it would take too. Just a push. Then she'd be gone.

"Oh my god…" Pressing her hand to her abdomen, Kagome jumped to her feet and raced outside, followed by only Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's voices. Taking large gulping breaths to fight down the double bouts of nausea swimming through her, she tried so hard not to be ill.

'I can't believe I even considered doing that!' Images of Kuroi smiling, blue eyes filled with sadness and so much love flittered across her mind. 'I'm horrible.' sitting down weakly and horrified with herself and her thoughts, Kagome hung her head.

She didn't even try to stop her tears this time. How different than Kikyo could she truly be if the first instinct she had was to kill someone her lover cared for?

Time to start on the left hand.

Utterly surprised, Sesshomaru could only ask, "You want me to what?"

"You heard me asshole!" Fighting the urge to smack his brother, Inuyasha kept repeating to himself that this was to help Kuroi. Patting the area next to her while his face flamed, Inuyasha pressed his lips into a line. "Sleep here by her. As much as you hate being close to anybody, you need to stay by her long enough for her to get used to your aura."

Sesshomaru stared at the spot his brother had indicated. "What makes you think she is not accustomed to me?" The subtle implication coupled with the memory of the kiss he'd seen them share garnered a low throaty growl from the half-breed.

Inuyasha slammed a fist into the floor, making the boards quiver. "Look dickhead, just lay next to her. Don't touch her, don't look at her too long and don't try anything funny." Heat practically leapt from his gaze, "Understand?"

"The last time I looked little brother, Kuroi was to be my mate." Cool yellow eyes slid to the open door and the girl beyond them, "Has something changed?"

As the retort dried to ash in his throat, Inuyasha hated him. He hated Sesshomaru from the top of his silver head to the soles of his feet. 'Either answer and I'm fucked. Press the no touching thing about Kuroi and it looks more like we're lovers than it already does. Deny it, and I fully admit that this shithead has the right to do whatever he wants because she's going to be his mate. I do _not _want to fucking be here!!'

"Don't bother her or she'll wake up." he responded lamely. Rising, he passed a palm down Kuroi's arm, briefly clasping the warmed hand before releasing it and going. Once outside, he gathered Kagome in his arms, attributing her lassitude to the healing. His heart softened and his kissed her cool brow.

Jumping to the roof and heading home, he whispered, "Thank you koishii." Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, but she didn't trust herself to answer.


	17. Week Two: Day Seven

Week Two

Day Seven: Morning

It is strange how one night can change the way you view things. Opening his eyes, Sesshomaru frowned faintly while trying to understand why he felt so…good.

True to his word, after appraising his father of current events, he had called for Midori and ordered her to lay out extra bedding beside her mistress. Once she'd prepared the place and left, to his chagrin, he found himself at a loss. It wasn't that the task was too difficult for him, it was that he did not quite know where to begin.

'Clothing would be the first logical step.' Having found the first footstep on his journey, Sesshomaru had discarded his armor and put it neatly away. The next step was his formal attire. He hesitated about removing the hakama and decided to leave it on.

'We wouldn't want to get too personal Kuroi, now would we?' the joke caught him off guard. 'Did I just make a humorous remark to an unconscious girl? I must be more tired than I thought.' Except that he wasn't tired and he knew it. If anything, he was slightly excited.

Laying down, he propped his head on his hand to look down other in comfort. Kuroi slept on, her features relaxed in sleep and lending her the air of sublime innocence found only in angels.

'If she's innocent, then I'm a dancing idiot.' The silence and darkness lulled him quickly to sleep.

Some time later, he opened his eyes to see Kuroi smiling across from him in the hot spring. 'Dreaming, I have to be dreaming.'

"Of course you are silly. How else could we have gotten here?" Musical laughter accompanied the gentle teasing lilt to her voice. "I'm glad you came though."

"As if I have control of a dream." Why was he arguing with a figment of his mind? Deciding to ignore her, he turned to leave.

"Sessy, I'm not a figment. I called you here to thank you for saving me." Water rippled higher, indicating that she was moving closer. Her hand on his shoulder confirmed it. Turning around, Sesshomaru looked at her, "What do you mean?"

I might not be dreaming. There's no way I'd let her call me 'Sessy' in my dreams.'

"What I mean is that I know calling Inuyasha wasn't easy." She laughed at his incredulous expression. "I've seen the way you two look at each other Sessy, and I think you would have rather cut off your arms than call your brother for help." Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him warmly. "Thank you Sessy."

He didn't respond, but he accepted the embrace in stony silence, still trying to come to terms with his situation. 'She's grateful, okay. Now if she'd stop with the Sessy thing I'd be ecstatic.'

"Sessy bothers you that much?" Although her tone was mild, he froze. Was she reading his thoughts?

"Yes I can kind of read your energy right now." Pulling back, but still draping her arms over his shoulders, Kuroi's eyes were wide and clear. "You're in my astral field and your aura wavered whenever I called you Sessy." She dipped her head and rested her hands on his forearms, smiling shyly, "I guessed you were annoyed by it."

"I was, and still am by everything you've done." There was a hard edge to his words as he grabbed her shoulders, "Why didn't you tell about your 'episodes' before you almost died you little idiot?!"

She ducked her head to avoid his gaze. "I thought I could handle it." Wiggling out of his grip, she sank deeper into the water. Sesshomaru noticed that the once clear sky was slowly becoming overcast.

'Inuyasha said he experienced difficulty while in her field, perhaps this is a manifestation of her emotional state?' Ignoring that for the moment, he examined her face. Kuroi still wouldn't look at him, so he softened his tone. "You should have told me Kuroi. I might have been able to help, and it was something I needed to know."

"Why?" Her eyes flashed smoky blue as she snapped, "It isn't like you were all that interested in anything about my life before now. You haven't exactly gone out of your way to try and learn anything at all about me." Huffing, she crossed her arms, "You just kept trying to change me."

"You like sparing, you're better with your right than your left for sword fighting and your favorite song is 'Monkey in the middle of the room'." spouting off the little idioms he'd noticed from the week spent watching her, he moved closer to her. " Your favorite snacks are spring rolls and sweet buns. For some reason you prefer to travel over the roof as opposed to the hallways and you are the most infuriating woman I have ever met." Jaw agape, she was unprepared when he drew her close and kissed her.

This time, Sesshomaru took his time exploring every part of her mouth with his tongue. Kuroi shivered at the delicious sensation of his teeth nipping softly along her lips. Large hands slid slowly around her waist, lifting her against him. Dimly aware of a hard surface against her back, she moaned as she felt him pressing insistently against her lower stomach and hips.

She braced her hands against his chest to pull away a fraction. "Why now?" Not daunted in the least, he dipped his head down and paid special attention to the delicate skin of her neck and shoulders. The intricate play of his mouth and tongue was wreaking havoc with her thoughts.

'Kuroi, do you really want an answer right now? Girl, let the man work!' Smacking the little voice that seemed so reasonable at the moment, Kuroi cupped his face and forced his head up. "Sesshomaru, why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to little flower. Why did you not tell me about your fears?" His hands slid up to cup her face so she couldn't look away.

"I thought…no, I wanted to try and do it on my own." Her eyes filled with determination that lent steel to her voice. "You're always talking about how pathetic humans are and how much trouble we cause. How much more pathetic is a wife who can't put on a nice kimono and stand beside you?" She gave a tremulous smile when he swore softly, "Yeah. If you need a battle field leveled, call for me. You need a date for dinner, look elsewhere!" Pulling away, she wiped at her face and sat down.

Sesshomaru just watched her as she withdrew from him. 'She is so much stronger than she knows. She tried to face something that she knew terrified her and could possibly kill her, simply because I asked.' It touched him more than he wanted to admit.

"Will you…would you be alright knowing that I will be by your side through the next formal gathering?" His tone was soothing and she gave him a genuine smile. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"Then can you tell me something?" Wading over to her, he took her hands in his. He could feel her pulse racing beneath her skin from the small contact and crowed inside. 'Inuyasha doesn't cause your heart to quicken but I do? Interesting.' Leaning close, he paused a fraction of an inch from her mouth and asked, "What is that?"

She blinked. "What?"

He pointed to her shoulder. "That."

Kuroi looked down and blushed hotly. "Um, I'm not really sure. One time I got poisoned by a snake youkai and when I thought I was dying, Inu kinda hopped into my aura and did that."

'That' was a clearly visible bite mark on her shoulder. She fingered it lightly. "I asked him why he did it and he said he didn't know. I just forgot about it since it's not visible in the physical world."

Sesshomaru touched the mark gingerly. He didn't expect his brother to know what it was. Inuyasha barely bothered to learn table manners let alone intricate inu youkai rituals.

'The placement is wrong for a mate or he would have bitten the nape of her neck. Too far from the breast to be even a temporary mating mark. Pack mate?' Sesshomaru gave a slight sigh as relief caught him by surprise. 'The bastard really does consider her only a part of his pack.' He watched the way the girl reverently touched the shimmering mark. 'But what does she consider him to be to her?'

"It's just a sign of friendship. Don't worry about it."

Startled by his suddenly relaxed manner, Kuroi tilted her head. "Seriously?"

Without a word as he sat down and pulled her into his lap, his face didn't betray his earlier thoughts. "Seriously."

Since they were not in the real world, he let himself do something he'd wanted to do for a long time. Sesshomaru tucked his fiancee under his chin, wrapped his arms around her and said lightly, "Go to sleep little flower. You need the rest and you can get to know my aura as you do."

Completely unbalanced by his sudden shift in attitude, she didn't say anything. Lifting her head a bit, she tipped her face the other way. "Um Sessy...Sesshomaru. Do you want to do that too?" He could feel the heat of her blush through the water. A yellow eye cracked open. "Do what?"

"Bite me?" Innocently asked, it was still phrased poorly. Sarcasm dripped from his reply. "Not like that I don't."

Worried that she might have offended him, she asked quickly, "Then what way do you want to bite me?" He looked at her seriously. 'Is she kidding?!'

"Inu youkai mate for life, even a temporary mating can last up to twenty years." He touched her shoulder. "Inuyasha marked you as a member of his pack." the finger trailed to the dip over one breast beside the hollow of her arm, "This is for temporary mates." He paused and lifted his hand to cup the nape of her neck, "This is for life mates. There are other places that mean other things, but those are the few that deal with mating."

Beet red, Kuroi mumbled, "Oh. Does it work in reverse? Can I bite you and it mean something?"

He marveled that he didn't flush to match her coloring. "Yes, female inu youkai mark their mates as well, in slightly different ways. Wait a minute, why the hell are we talking about this?! You're supposed to be resting and getting familiar with me, not asking me about mating!"

At the outburst, he briefly wondered why that sounded like it came out wrong.

An ebon brow rose at his tone. "I asked about bites, you went into mating on your lonesome." When he didn't respond, she continued. "Besides, I asked because I noticed how much easier it was for me to sense Inu after he did it. I thought it might help the familiarization along." Tucking herself back under his chin, she said softly, "It was just a thought."

'Damned good one. How the hell did I wander off into mating?' Sesshomaru reviewed the conversation. 'Okay, that's how. At least she seems genuinely interested. Oh well, I may as well start.'

"Kuroi, hold on tight."

"Why?"

"Just do it." When her arms were secured around his waist, he released all holds on his aura and let it flood into her. Her nails dug into his flesh so he eased back some. Lolling drunkenly, her head rolled back so she could regard him through heavy eyes. "Whoa, you are a big boy." There was a definite innuendo in that statement, but he pushed it aside. "Your turn Kuroi." Her eyes lit up teasingly, "Okay, but you asked for it."

"What...wow." Like her scent, the aura he'd felt before had been held in check. 'Just as I thought. She's a lot stronger than she let's on.' A small patch of aura was still shut off from him, but he made no move to touch it. 'No repeats of the miko's incident.'

Still floating in each other's essence, he shifted to get more comfortable and was surprised when he realized that the spring had disappeared, replaced by a bed and covers. Kuroi blushed, "Hey, I can't sleep in a hot spring, no matter how good it feels." She lifted the edge of the sheets, "Besides, we're dressed."

For some reason, Sesshomaru didn't want to admit to his disappointment on that revelation and instead opted to just lay down so he could hold her against him. "No more questions Kuroi. Just go to sleep."

Snuggling down she sighed, "Okay Sesshomaru."

Now it was morning and she was still pressed up against him, sleeping peacefully. 'Little flower, you are becoming more intriguing every day.' Covering her up, he reluctantly left and went to his room.


	18. Week Three: Day One

Week Three

Morning

"Sango, do you think Inuyasha and Kagome are alright?"

"I don't know. I think they need more time together."

"Sango, will you marry me?"

BAM!

"It would have been nicer if you weren't grabbing my ass hentai!!"

sigh

Afternoon

"Shinaki, what the hell is that smell?"

"Duck and goose excrement. It's good for the roses."

wobbling a bit "Shinaki, I don't feel so good."

"Yama, you look awfully green."

THUD! groan

"Kiso!"

"Yeah mom?"

"Take Yama in and lay him on the bed please."

"Yes mom."

Lift and carry

"Poor inu and their over-sensitive noses."

Night

Kaede loved Inuyasha like the ruffian son one finds it hard to stay mad at. When he'd come that night and retrieved her from the village yelling about Kagome being ill for a week but not smelling sick, she'd gathered her things and left without a word. The fact that the girl had not awakened from the healing she had done earlier further worried her. She knew how protective the hanyou was of the girl he saw as his mate, and she herself saw as a daughter, but if he didn't stop hovering over her every move as she checked on Kagome's sleeping form she swore she would bind him to a wall just to make him be still!

"INUYASHA, will ye please sit down?" Something in her voice must have given away her irritation because he pulled back without comment. Satisfied that he would stay put, she turned back and finished what she was doing.

"How has Kagome's appetite been lately?" She asked calmly and touched the young woman's pulse, finding it smooth and even.

"She eats fine all day, except a night. Then she complains about her stomach and goes to bed." Sulking a bit, he craned his head to see better.

"When exactly do these spells of sickness occur?" The girl's color was good, not flushed with fever or pale from blood loss.

"Late at night or real early in the morning. Once or twice this week in the middle of the day." Since he couldn't see as much as he wanted, the hanyou scowled at the healer's back instead.

After asking him a few more questions, which he sourly answered, she placed a hovering hand over other various parts of Kagome's body before sitting back with a solemn expression.

Unable to take the silence when no answers appeared to be forthcoming, Inuyasha growled out, "Oi old woman! What's up with her? Is she gonna be all right?" When Kaede didn't answer, he angrily raised his voice a bit, "Can you fix her?"

Sliding him a pointed look, she rose painfully to her knees and packed her herbs back into her bag. "She is well Inuyasha, there is nothing wrong with her to fix yet." Giving him a small bag, she patted the sleeping Kagome on the hand before leaving the room. True to form, Inuyasha barred the door and thrust the bag in her face, "If she's not sick, then what the hell is this for?" A dangerous light danced in his eyes as he demanded an answer.

Ducking under his arm, she called back calmly, "It's tea to help the nausea. Most of the village women find it helpful for morning sickness when they are pregnant."

From his perch on the bed Shippo got to watch the reaction Kaede's words had on Inuyasha first hand. 'Let's see.' he thought, 'There goes the shock…a little disbelief. Wow, I never knew he could even look THAT confused. Uh-huh, a little realization must be taking hold in his brain somewhere. Ah, there's the smile I was waiting for!'

Satisfied that all was well, the kitsune kissed his mother on the brow as she slept then hopped past the stone still figure and said, "She's having twins by the way." before dashing happily away from the descending claws.

'Twins?' Walking over to the bed as if the floor was suddenly turned to eggshells, Inuyasha climbed gingerly in next to Kagome. Staring down at her peaceful face he tenderly stroked a cheek with the back of a finger. 'She's having my pups.' He repeated it aloud to really let it sink in. It was true, he could see it in her face, now that Kaede had told him. There was a stupid smile on his face, he could feel it, but it just wouldn't stop and he didn't care.

Suddenly, Inuyasha wanted to go outside and tell anyone, hell everyone. He wanted to shout it from the highest hill he could find. As she murmured in her sleep, the sound caught at his heart and awoke every protective instinct he ever knew he had, plus some he didn't. Yeah, he wanted to go tell the world, but he wanted to be by her side even more.

'Kuroi is going to be an aunt.' Just that thought clarified his earlier jumbled emotions. A little sister. That's why he'd felt that way when he'd seen her kiss Sesshomaru. He'd wanted to make sure his little sister didn't get hurt, especially around a frosty asshole like his brother. A pleased laugh slipped out and he rained feather soft kisses across Kagome's face.

Thinking about Shippo, he idly mused following the little kitsune to his 'hidden' camp and pound out how long the cub had known about Kagome being pregnant, but he passed it up. Instead, he gathered her close, gentler than he'd ever done before and held her. "I love you." he whispered as he tucked her under his chin, wanting to stay that way for the rest of his life.

But we don't always get what we want.

A knock on the door made him swear softly. Unwilling to move, he only did so when it became apparent that the sound was disturbing Kagome's sleep. Pulling away gently, Inuyasha scooted off the bed and left the room, promising to make the bastard that had disturbed him more sorry than he'd ever been in his life. Bounding to the front door, he snatched it open hard enough to break a hinge and hissed, "WHAT?!"

When no one was there, he stared around confused before closing it. A familiar staff stopped it's progress. "What the fuck?" Of anyone he expected to see at his doorstep that night, Jaken would have been the furthest from his mind.

The little youkai smiled up at him apologetically, "Good evening Lord Inuyasha."

Jaken was desperate. He'd taken the fastest steed in the stables and searched far and wide the whole week to fulfill his Lord's command. All he had to show for it was nothing. No one in the Lady's family knew where she had been born. They had found her in the woods as an infant and simply raised her as their own. He'd wondered about that, but that type of youkai was notoriously kind-hearted. They had twenty of their own plus ten more human children of various ages around when he'd stopped by.

One of her little brothers, Kiso, had suggested he try her army post. Thanking the rather large youkai, the frustrated retainer had set out to do just that. Once at the out post, he'd questioned everyone from her superiors to soldiers under her command. He got tales of her bravery, beauty and incredible battled prowess. A young enlistee had even commented about her ability to drink anyone of them under a table, but not one of them could tell him anything about her.

There didn't seem to be anyone they could think of that she was particularly friendly with either. As he was about to leave, Jaken accidentally got hit with an arrow from the recruit target practice. While laying up in the infirmary, he'd heard two healers discussing his questions about Kuroi. They'd laughed and remarked that if anyone knew anything, it would be some "Inuyama guy she babbled about when she had gotten really injured one time."

With a sinking heart, the retainer knew that the 'Inuyama' being referred to was actually Inuyasha. Weary and desperate, he'd ridden hard to come almost full circle to the one person who could give him the answers he sought.

Looking up into the thunderous face of the hanyou in question, he wondered if maybe he should cut out Lord Sesshomaru and just kill himself now.

"What the fuck do you want?" Growling as he awaited the answer, Inuyasha dropped to his haunches and stared hard at the little youkai.

Not wanting to appear intimidated, Jaken switched to flattery, "You are looking quite well this evening Lord Inuyasha! I do apologize for this late intrusion, but I have urgent need of your help."

Ears pricking at the other's tone and use of the title 'Lord ' Inuyasha automatically scanned the surroundings for his older brother. Not sensing any immediate threat, he still scowled at the retainer. "What the fuck are you talking about toad?" He was getting some satisfaction in the way the other was trembling with badly disguised fear.

"I-I was wondering if we might discuss this in-"

"No."

The curt answer and raised pitch of the growl signaled that he had better get to the point. Fast. "A-hem. I wish to know a little bit more about the Lady Kuroi, please." the words came out in a rush as the little man curled up and awaited immediate dismemberment.

It took Jaken a minute to realize that he was still alive. Not only alive, but sill in one piece. Peeking through his arms at his imagined executioner, he saw the face of the young girl Kagome. His executioner was thundering down at her instead. 

"Damn it Kagome, go back to bed!"

Placing her hands on her hips, she scowled back just as fiercely, "No, I just woke up and I feel fine now!" Noticing Jaken in the door, she was torn between being polite and asking him in, or kicking him as hard as she could. Polite won out. "Please come in Jaken." she said pleasantly.

Taken back, Inuyasha's face twitched uncontrollably as the woman he loved seated the servant of one of his worst enemies down to tea. "KA…GO…ME…!!"

"What!?" Eyes flashing, she glared at him as she poured some tea. "Jaken said he needed your help, I heard him. Now quit being an ass and just hear him out."

Something in the way she'd phrased 'I heard him' snapped the irritation out of his eyes. 'She heard him huh? I think what she really heard was Kuroi's name.' To test his theory, Inuyasha strode over calmly and took her wrist in his hand.

"Kagome, would you please not worry me and go to bed? Kaede said that you needed some more rest. Whatever Jaken wants to tell me is probably about dad or Sesshomaru, so you don't need to be here." Inuyasha mentally patted himself on the back for sounding so logical.

Jaken and Kagome just stared at him as if he'd sprouted a tail. Frowning at what he thought sounded like a perfect argument, he was getting angry that it wasn't working. "What? What the fuck did I say?" The relieved sighs that met his outburst didn't help his mood at all. "Oh, so I can't sound reasonable? If I'm not screaming my head off or cursing a blue streak you think I'm possessed or something?!" The simultaneous nods really pushed him over the edge.

"KAGOME GO TO BED!! JAKEN GET THE FUCK OUT NOW!!!!!!"

Scrambling to avoid the claws that slashed at him, Jaken wailed "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please my Lord, I'm begging for your help!" He managed to dodge a particularly nasty swipe by ducking behind a table. A large cracking noise made him peek around it though. Kagome stood over a red and cursing Inuyasha with a broken rolling pin in one hand while she covered her mouth with the other.

"If I didn't love you I'd kill you." the low snarl was thick and very nasty. At that moment, Shippo walked by munching on a chocolate bar. "If you weren't pregnant with his twins he means." he added before he scrambled out of the open door to avoid Inuyasha's lightning fast attempt to grab him.

That's when all hell broke loose.

Sesshomaru found himself wandering the halls again. He'd been doing that a lot lately, but he always made sure to stop in one of the rooms as if that was his destination all along. It wouldn't do to have the staff wonder about him. Even as he walked surrounded in an air of indifference, he couldn't stop thinking about that kiss.

He'd enjoyed it. He'd enjoyed it a LOT. While he did allow himself a few pleasures now and then, that wasn't what had him in a knot at the moment. The burr in his side was that he couldn't figure out if Kuroi had enjoyed it too. 'Or had it still been an experiment for her?' Snapping at a lower servant for not hurrying, he idly wondered if that was the real reason for his discontent.

'Did she really like it, or not? Does she care about me in the least? Does she only love that cursed hanyou? This would be so much easier if I was Inuyasha. He'd just bust down the door, grab her and demand an answer. No protocol at all.' The thought of wanting to be like his brother didn't help his mood in the slightest.

Turning a corner, he stopped as he realized where his feet had brought him. Right before him stood a flimsy door, the only thing between him and the woman he badly wanted some answers from. Looking up and down the hall, he started to tap on the door when a voice called out, "Come in Sesshomaru."

Yellow eyes narrowed in disbelief. He hadn't made a noise, so how had she heard anything, let alone known it was even him? '

The aura thing. She still must sense me when I'm nearby. Now if it would just work as easily for me…'

Drawing himself up, he opened the door and stepped inside. Madness flittered before his eyes. Silk, satin and other fine linen lay in haphazard piles on the floor. A large bolt of shockingly blue cotton was tipped out of the closet. Bending down, he picked up a lovely kimono that had been discarded on the floor. 

"Give me a sec, okay?" The voice traveled to him from behind a changing screen. "I know, you've seen me naked like more than twice already, but hey. Just pretend I'm modest." A teasing lilt in her request made him smile inside. When she stepped out, instead of a sister to the kimono he held, she was wearing a simple sleeveless robe of the blue fabric he'd just seen. Belted by a thin sash of bright yellow, it was not what he'd been expecting. Seeing the kimono he held, she snorted as she took it and tossed it in a corner with some others.

"I just came to see if you were all right and settled in before the wedding next week." he said slowly, staring at the humongous pile. At a lost for excuses as to why he'd come, that had been the politest one he could think of. Two hands cupped his face and turned it around for a gentle kiss that rocked him.

"No you didn't." she murmured against his mouth assuredly. A nip on his chin preceded her next statement, which astounded him with its perception, "You came to ask if I enjoyed that kiss or was I just testing you again." Another kiss silenced his protest. He was finding it very hard to move at the moment. "I enjoyed it and it was still a test." she whispered huskily.

The honesty of the statement made him frown as he pulled away slightly. Sometime during the rain of kisses she'd bestowed, his hands had found their way around her waist. He removed them even though he wanted to put them right back.

'Fight this damn it! Two kisses and she's got you wrecked. You are Sesshomaru, future Inu no Taisho of the West. Get it together man!'

With that fortifying mental rally, he looked at her thoughtfully. "How can it be a test and enjoyed at the same time?" He almost swore she pouted while he spoke. With a sigh, she turned and sat down. "I been wondering what kissing you would be like since I got here, so I did it."

"It was an impulse?" once again her straight forwardness was confusing to him.

"You've got a nice face and really nice lips." A mischievous smile played across her mouth as she watched him, "I was curious if they felt as good as they looked. I enjoyed it because they do. I've enjoyed the kisses you gave me on your own even more."

Sesshomaru felt the blood rushing to his head because her scent was changing again. The arousal was stronger, but he pushed that information aside. He needed to clear a few things up first.

"Who are you?"

Raising an eyebrow at the gruff edge to his voice, she sat up straight and laughed lightly. "My name is Kuroi Hana and I am to be your bride."

Slightly infuriated, Sesshomaru knelt down and grabbed her arm in a bruising grip, "Look little girl. I am not someone to be trifled with. I do not know how you talked my father into this or how you claim to know my bastard half brother, but I will find out your secret and expose you before killing you."

Yanking back from the quiet venom in his voice, she did something he didn't expect. She slapped him. Hard. "How dare you." Hurt and disbelief warred for dominance in her voice. "How fucking DARE YOU!! I didn't ask your father for this marriage, he asked me! Hell, I'd never even thought he knew much about me since I serve in one of his furthest outposts! I was as shocked as you were when he asked me to marry his son."

"I thought after last night that you understood me better. I thought that things had changed." Her voice was small and hurt, but she glared defiantly at him. "But you won't allow that, will you?"

She continued to glare at him as her words heated up. "And for your information, I _did _know Inuyasha fifty years ago. He's one of my dearest friends and I'm tired of hearing you put him down! He's been true and kind and loyal to me for a long time even if he is a blockhead on occasions."

Starting to huff a bit from unshed tears, Kuroi glared weakly at him, "I never asked to be married to you." The confession seemed to open a floodgate of tears, "I thought, I thought I was going to be engaged to him!" Hot drops coursed down her cheeks and hit the back of his hand which was balling into a fist.

"You two are nothing alike! I've never met such a stuck up, arrogant, cold, unfeeling bastard as you! You're so far gone behind that mask of yours that you can't even see when someone's telling you the truth! I don't have any secrets except one, and it's what keeps me alive. It isn't harmful and it won't stop until I die so it's none of your fucking business."

Pressing a hand to her forehead, she shook her head in disbelief, "Your father introduces you to a potential wife who tells you the truth, then you threaten to kill her when she does? What the fuck is wrong with you? Gods! I'd rather give myself to Inuyasha than a frigid lump of hate like you!!" Scrubbing furiously at her face, she started to turn away. 

The hand that shot out and snagged her hand was surprising to say the least, but not half as much as the mouth that pressed against hers with almost crushing brutality. Pushing against the unyielding wall of his chest, she gasped when strong fingers fisted in her hair and tugged hard. The action parted her lips and allowed him to thrust his tongue inside of her mouth to taste each part of it with frenzied thoroughness.

His kiss shocked her more immobile than the sudden weight of his body on top of her, even as it made her begin to relax against him. At the feel of her body becoming more pliant, Sesshomaru eased up on the demanding kiss but didn't try to make it any less deep.

The subtle smell of sandalwood wrapped around Kuroi, tickling her senses and cradling her brain in a sensuous fog as her arms wrapped around his neck and she fought the urge to moan.

'He feels so good, why won't he just let go like he did before?' she wondered before a gentle sweep of his lips halted most coherent thought. Dazed and completely mollified, she was dimly aware of a whisper against her lips.

"Wha…?" she asked completely bewildered.

"Don't say that…please…" thickened with desire, his breath trailed hotly as he kissed her again while his hands worked their way under her robe to span her waist and ribs. The contact made her shiver and arch against his fingers.

When he paused to nip lightly along her jaw, she held his face for a moment and repeated her question.

Almost black with desire, his eyes were bright and hot as the heart of the sun. "Don't ever say that about Inuyasha again."

Confused, she kissed him to stall his next move, "Say what?"

"That he could ever have you." he growled and claimed her mouth with a fierceness that left her reeling. 'So much passion, he could burn me alive with it.' Shifting beneath his weight, she felt the embodiment of his desire press against her urgently. The contact made her shiver again as she felt herself responding more and more to his touches even though his words had an opposite effect on her mind.

While she enjoyed the kiss, she didn't want it if it was only out of jealousy. Arching her body with a strength that startled the youkai, she flipped him aside and straddled him. Groaning in her mind as gravity pressed him harder against her sensitive flesh, she frowned down at him.

"Now it's my turn to ask the question. Are you doing this because you like me or because of what I said?!" Still heaving from the kiss, she couldn't quite get the intended force behind her words.

At the question though, the desire was again bottled up in Sesshomaru's eyes as he turned his face away. "I can't answer that."

"Oh the hell you can't!" she cried out in exasperation, "Fuck, be honest." Dragging a hand through her hair, Kuroi flung out her arms, "I see you walk around here all the time looking so miserable I could cry. Why don't you just admit to feeling something? Anything? Would it kill you?" Twitching her hips against his erection, she said wryly, "Your body can be honest, so why don't you try it for a change?" More reluctant to get off of him than she wanted to admit, Kuroi contented herself with a seat on the edge of the mattress. She felt a hand stroke her hair from behind as a quiet voice reached her, "I honestly do like you."

Looking at him in disbelief, she stood slowly and moved away. "How can I be sure? I've seen you and Inuyasha when he comes here. You're like kids with a favorite toy. Well I don't want to be some toy between you two! At least I know why he likes me, you can't seem to make up your mind about whether to kiss me or yell at me. At least Inuyasha could do that." the lie left a bitter taste on her tongue.

Watching Sesshomaru rise gracefully to his feet and start to approach her, she shivered. Every line of his body screamed predator and she wondered what it would feel like to be the sole focus of his real desire. Her face flamed at the thought.

Mistaking the blush, Sesshomaru stopped and instead looked away from her. A bright color caught his eye. In a conversation switch that left her completely unbalanced, he held up a kimono, "Why don't you wear these? They're the height of fashion."

Dumbfounded, she blinked as her brain struggled to catch up with the sudden change and answered numbly, "They're not comfortable." Tugging on the short hem of her rumpled robe where it stopped mid thigh, she slid back to sit on the floor. "I can't fight in a full kimono, so I never learned to really wear one. Since all I do is fight or spar at the outpost, this robe has been fine."

Something was still refusing to click in her brain. Hadn't they just been fighting and kissing? Why was he discussing clothes? What the hell just happened?

Taking in his appearance, still polished despite what just happened a moment ago, she asked softly, "Don't you have any clothes like that?"

"I am always comfortable." was his last response to her before he turned and left the room. His sensitive ears heard a shuddering breath mumble, "Not with that stick up your ass, you're not." Gritting his teeth, he headed back to his room.

'Comfortable? I am the PICTURE of comfort! Hah!' disgusted with himself because he'd just caused more questions than he'd answered not to mention a painfully swollen erection, Sesshomaru discarded his over robe. He couldn't wear it anymore. It smelled like her now and there was no way he'd make it through the night with his sanity intact if that scent lingered to taunt him. Striding to the closet, he yanked open the door to get another one. As he opened the panel, light fell on a flat wooden box on the bottom.

Temporarily forgetting his mission, Sesshomaru knelt down slowly and brushed his fingers across the top of it. With a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure he was alone and the door was shut, he opened the lid and lifted the soft bundle out of it reverently.

A fire rat haori and hakama.

Identical to the one Inuyasha wore save for the color. Where his brother's was a deep red, this one was snow white with crimson piping along the sleeves and ankles.

Pulling it respectfully to him, Sesshomaru buried his face in it and inhaled the fragrance of the woman who'd made it for him so long ago. Ukiyo, his human stepmother.

Thinking about her still brought a sharp pain to his heart, even after all these years. She'd been so kind to him, even when he'd been at his coldest to her. The day she'd presented Inuyasha with his red robes, she drawn Sesshomaru aside and presented his to him in private. At the time, he'd cruelly thought it had been an act of shame because she was giving a gift to another on her son's birthday. Or more plausible in his mind back then, because she hadn't cared or had the nerve to ask Lord Yamatsu when her stepson's true birthday was.

As he had been about to refuse, he'd looked up at her face and stopped. The gentle, uncertain smile she had worn when she'd given it to him had spoken volumes. If he wanted to refuse her gift, he could do it that day in secret and not on his birthday where such a display of rudeness would surely have been punished by his father. If he didn't want it, she would never tell that he had refused. The secret would stay with her.

That simple act had broken something hard and lonely inside him for the first time since his mother had died, and he'd started to truly love Ukiyo.

Then she'd died and left his world in ruins.

Snatching the haori away before his hot tears could stain it, Sesshomaru put it back and slammed the lid with a bit more force than he'd intended.

That hurt. They hurt. Humans.

They made you feel for them so deeply you couldn't think straight without them around. Then they died so quickly, leaving a bottomless well of sorrow behind that lasted far longer then they had actually lived. Fragile, brilliant, beautiful creatures that flashed out of your life in the blink of an eye. Getting close to one was an invitation to suffer, loving one was lunacy.

Blinking back the rest as he swallowed his unshed tears, Sesshomaru dashed away the wetness on his face before going out into the garden. Breathing heavily, he stood in the center and tried to will his tumultuous emotions to be silent. As the breeze caressed his skin, he knew the answer about Kuroi. She was making that hard and lonely place inside of him start to crack again and this time he couldn't fix it.


	19. Week Three: Day Two

Jaken was happy. As he rode home, he marveled at the things you could learn when two people have a screaming match.

After dropping the bomb and running away, Shippo's presence as well as his own was completely forgotten by the two people having a Mexican standoff.

"Kagome go to bed now." Though low, the force of the hanyou's voice could have broken stone.

"I'm pregnant with twins!?" Likewise, his mate could have shattered glass with the high pitch she hit as she shrieked back.

Ears flattened against the sound, Inuyasha yelled out, "It doesn't matter if it's a litter, go to bed!" before advancing towards the girl in what looked like an attempt to physically place her there. He was brought up short by a shoe to the temple.

Gleaming with murderous intent, Kagome looked at her beloved and hissed, "How long have you fucking known?"

More stunned by the choice of projectile than the actual hit, Inuyasha mumbled, "Kaede told me today…a shoe?" Shaking his head at the realization of how he sounded, he straightened and yelled, "But Shippo told me it was twins. That bastard's known this whole time!!

Not willing to place the blame anywhere else, especially not on her little kitsune, she still screamed the first thing that popped into her head, "Now we'll have to get married!"

"I was planning it anyway you stupid idiot!!!"

Taken back a bit by the admission, she tilted her head in bemusement, "When?"

"Originally right after Sesshomaru got married, but after Kaede told me, I was gonna ask you in the morning." Sitting down on the floor, he shoved his hands up his sleeves and closed his eyes, "I already asked Miroku to perform the ceremony for us. Sango said she'd spread the word and I was going to tell your family and invite everyone we know."

He tried to sound non-chalant, but that natural cockiness kind of spoiled the effect. Inuyasha cracked one eye as he spoke to gauge her reaction, secretly pleased when her hand traveled to her stomach reflexively as she gazed ahead lost in thought.

At the words 'everyone we know' her attention snapped back on him with a fury. Rearranging her grip on the broken rolling pin so it mimicked a weapon, she repeated evenly, "Everyone 'we' know or just you?"

Shit. "Kagome, let me explain about Kuroi." making soothing motions with his hands, Inuyasha rolled slowly to his feet in order to edge closer to her.

A chunk of wood to the head stopped him cold. "Talk. Now." her growl was surprisingly good as she readied the other half of the pin.

With every sense focused on her and the pups she carried, he took a deep breath before starting. "Kuroi is honestly just an old friend."

"Who's almost two hundred years old, still claims to be human and you've been sleeping with since she showed up?! Pull the other one Inuyasha!!!" She cocked her arm but stopped when he hurriedly kept explaining.

"She _is _human and we never did anything, I swear! We really did just travel around together for ten years or so before I met Kikyo and I've only slept with her twice since she showed up, honest."

Jaken winced and shook his head. The last thing to tell an emotional female was that you had a long relationship with another woman before her and then mention an ex-lover in the same breath. Admitting freely to sleeping with the woman in question right after that? The hanyou must have been insane.

The scream almost brought down the roof.

"WHAT!!??!!"

The next chunk actually knocked the hanyou to the floor. A buzz in the air identified a distinctive miko tinge to the piece flung. 'Probably what gave that piece the strength to knock the bastard down.' Jaken mused as he watched the scene unfold.

"Ow bitch, that piece was enchanted!!" Rubbing at his forehead furiously, Inuyasha glowered and snarled at his mate. "We only slept, nothing else! Kuroi is human. I know that for a fact."

"How do you know baka? You couldn't even tell I was pregnant!!" A rather large chunk of firewood was being readied as the next weapon of choice.

Clearly the last hit _had _addled Inuyasha's brains because Jaken actually heard him casually toss out, "Because she tastes like one okay?" Realization at what just left his lips dawned on Inuyasha swift and terrible.

Silence, followed by the thin whistle as the log hit him square in the side of the head that time. "SHE WHAT?!" Two more smaller pieces followed the first with deadly accuracy as Kagome envisioned all the circumstances that could lead to a "tasting."

In his defense, the father of her children dug himself even deeper as he screamed, "I HAD to use my mouth so of course I could taste her!" BAM! Chunk to the shoulder. A yelp followed by swearing and a sizzling sound signaled that it had been similarly enchanted.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU TWO DO!?" Completely exhausted from shouting and pouring her magic into the wood, Kagome's chest heaved as she slumped to her knees in tears. "What did you do Inuyasha? Do you love her?" Pain filled eyes looked at him through a film of tears, "Do you love her like you loved Kikyo?" Uncertainty and fatigue drove her to a fresh bout of crying.

Moving faster than the little youkai could have imagined, Inuyasha scooped her up and pulled her close despite her weak protests. "Shh…I just had to suck some poison out of her leg once. That's how I know she's human. Her blood tastes completely human." Stroking her hair, he folded Kagome closer to him and positioned her across his lap. "I didn't tell you because I thought she'd be dead after all this time. I didn't know she was a hundred and fifty when we first met and I never thought to ask while we traveled." Kissing her head gently as her tears dried, he said simply, "I do love her though, but just as a little sister!" he finished quickly as a chunk of wood rose in her hand.

"I was as surprised as you about her being in dad's army. When she told us about getting enlisted after I got bound to the tree, it explained a lot though. Her youkai family I knew about because I met them." He laughed as he smoothed his love's hair, "She has twenty brothers and sisters, did you know that?" He felt Kagome raise her brows at that one. "All youkai. She said they drove her nuts sometimes."

Sniffling and snuggling closer, Kagome asked in a tiny voice that almost broke his heart, "So you guys are really just friends? Good friends?"

With a snort of arrogance, Inuyasha smirked. "Hell yeah, that's what I've been telling everybody! I even have an idea why she hasn't aged. You know my moon cycles? Well she…." he trailed off as he scented the air.

Sidling back behind the table he'd hidden beside, Jaken heard a whisper of cloth and a low growl pointed in his direction. "Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome asked while the retainer tried to sneak unnoticed out the door. A vise-like grip stopped him as he was snatched up to face a pair of amber eyes promising a slow and painful death while a tight voice hissed, "Toad."

Praying to numerous gods and demons alike, the little youkai was surprised that they answered. What saved Jaken from imminent destruction, was a moan that faded to a whimper as Kagome pitched forward unconscious.

"Kagome!" Forgetting the toad even as he dropped him, Inuyasha dashed back to scoop up the fallen girl. Whispering soothing nonsense, he took her towards the bedroom. Not being stupid and seeing his chance to escape unmolested, Jaken took it and raced out the door.

Then got bopped on the head for his trouble. "Ow! Who the…?"

"Oi, Jaken!" While diminutive, the growl he heard had the potential to grow up and be quite impressive. Blocking the doorway by the sheer size of his own energy, Shippo cradled a rather heavy looking stick of wood at the ready in his small hands. Placing the end of it on the older youkai's chest, the kitsune warned softly, "Do not say anything about the pups or I'll kill you myself."

Sneering at the young cub and his threats, Jaken's words were cut off by another surprisingly strong blow across his face. A small hand fisted in the front of his robe and yanked him forward.

For a moment, everything about the kitsune from his posture, ears, growl and promise of death in the narrowed blue eyes, looked exactly like Inuyasha. Shuddering despite himself Jaken could only nod when Shippo shook him and snarled again. "That is my pack and if I so much as hear a whisper about those pups, you won't have to worry about Inu-baka in there. I'll be the one after you, and I can get in the places he can't even dream of. Understand?" He gave a shake to emphasize every word. "Not. One. Word!"

Apparently satisfied that he'd gotten his point across, Shippo gave a familiar 'feh' before bounding inside and closing the door.

A haunted figure roamed the halls of the inu youkai mansion. Lord Yamatsu. He'd tried, hells knew he'd tried, but nothing seemed to work for him when it came to his sons. Stopping to sooth a maid that Sesshomaru had probably snapped at, he changed his mind. Inuyasha was actually coming around to him, it was the other one who was giving him a headache now.

Moving on when the poor young woman seemed calmer, he made up his mind to have a talk with his eldest child.

Midori landed by the waterfall and looked around the moonlit banks. A shadow slid from the water, drawing her in. With a happy smile, she followed.

giggle "Stop Inuyasha…that tickles!" giggle

gr-r-r-r… "…no…" nip, nip, lick

gasp "Inuyasha!" moan…

murmur "Thought you'd like that…"

Shippo covered his ears with a pillow to drown out the various muffled thumps and noises coming from the room Kagome and Inuyasha shared. "Damned hanyou…" he muttered crossly before leaping out the window and skipping off into the surrounding forest. He didn't go far, just a few miles or so until his sensitive ears could hear nothing but the woods around him. A quick tug inside a special log produced a small sleeping bag, kindling, matches and snacks.

Looking ruefully at the dwindling supply, he made a mental note to ask Kagome for some more when she went home to visit. If Inuyasha let her out of his sight for more than a second that is.

The little kitsune giggled. While he might not have approved whole heartedly of Inu-baka, he did protect and make mama Kagome happy. Shippo's expression turn thoughtful as he built a small fire before climbing into the sleeping bag. But the idiot also made her furious, and sometimes really sad. 'Oh well,' he thought with an impossibly wide yawn before falling to sleep, 'as long as they love each other.'

A figure flitted over the rooftops, pausing to watch the person in the center of the garden. Kuroi studied her intended from the roof and wondered exactly what he was doing. 'He gets calm again so fast it's creepy!', came the sour thought as she munched on a pilfered spring roll. Stuffing another into her mouth, she chastised her choice of snack. 'I can't help it though, I get hungry when I'm horny!'

Silently wishing again that her intended was just a little more impulsive like his brother Inuyasha, she smiled. Thinking about her old friend's expressive face, she munched on another roll. 'I wonder what Sessy's real smile looks like? Would it be like his father's, or his brother's? Maybe it would be purely is own.' Lost in that pleasant thought, she ate another roll.

She'd been lying when she said she would rather have had Inuyasha. He was sweet, sure, but way too much like her baby brother Kiso. Besides, he was heads over heels for Kagome. Leaning on an elbow, Kuroi tipped back her head and gazed at the stars. Kagome was a really good mate for him. Sweet, kind, and just a flash of spunk. They had a match too perfect to tamper with. Popping another roll in her mouth, the girl closed her eyes and chewed thoughtfully. Besides, if she and Inu had ever been meant to be together, Lord knows they'd had plenty of opportunities in the past, but nothing had clicked so nothing had happened.

Rolling on her back against the cool tiles, Kuroi snagged another roll. She didn't like it here. Only Yamatsu's presence and the occasional visits to Inu and Kagome made it slightly bearable. The head servants were snobs and the lower ones weren't risking being overly friendly.

Reaching for another roll, her hand met empty cloth. Surprised, she shook it out and watched the crumbs scatter in disbelief. "Fuck this." she muttered and rolled over to her feet in one fluid motion. She needed to release some energy. She needed to hurt something and get as much tension and sexual frustration out as she could.

The fight with Sesshomaru still had her altering between desire and fury, and the combination was making her dizzy. Surveying the heavy woods around the mansion walls, she spotted a part that looked particularly foreboding. Bounding stealthily from roof to roof, she took the last leap over the wall and landed lightly on the other side.

Sinister energy fairly flowed around her, bringing a delighted smile to her face. As a small swarm of oni and youkai centered in on her, Kuroi laughed wickedly under her breath to greet them, "Come to mama…"

"Sesshomaru, I need to talk to you now!" thundered Lord Yamatsu. Having searched the halls of his mansion fruitlessly until a retainer directed him to the garden, Lord Yamatsu was in no mood to argue. He wanted to get a few things straight with his eldest, and he felt the boy had damned well better listen.

"I am sick and tired of your constant fighting with your brother Inuyasha. I don't care if he's only a hanyou to you, he's a son to me." Fairly growling with irritation, he continued when silence met his words. "I love that boy just as much as I love you, and it's been seriously pissing me off that the two of you can't seem to be on the same planet without a war breaking out! Hells bells, the only reason I chose a bride for you and not him was because I knew that block head would do everything in his power to avoid the girl if he felt it wasn't his choice.

"But you're not like that, are you? Oh no! Why avoid when you can just do everything in your power to piss them off instead?! And the worst part of it is that you look at them like they're trash under your feet while you do it! If nothing else, you should at least trust my judgment when it comes to picking a wife. I chose Kuroi for you because I saw so much of your mother in her." When even that admission failed to get a response or make Sesshomaru turn around, Lord Yamatsu sighed heavily.

"Look Sesshomaru, Jaken will not find anything out about Kuroi. She doesn't even know everything about herself." Taking a seat on the edge of the board walk, he hung his head between his massive shoulders as he spoke.

"Shinaki didn't find Kuroi in the woods by accident, son. I left her there to be found. In the southern part of my territory, there is a small village of humans who seek the perfect martial arts. They mimic the fighting stances of animals to strengthen themselves and their abilities. A long time ago, they found a way to turn the very animals they mimicked into human women."

Staring off into some hidden point in his past, the inu Lord unwound his tale. "Since they could mate and bear children with their magically created wives, they slowly became more and more powerful in their chosen arts. But if you needed a wife you simple choose the strongest animal you can subdue and change her into one, so of what use could the daughters that were born be? None."

Rubbing a hand across his face, he muttered curses as much against himself as the men he remembered. "So they slaughtered each and every girl born." Rising to his feet, he turned to walk a little closer to his son, "Kuroi's mother was a wild dog, and even changed, she was still a mother. She stole away and gave her infant daughter to me for safe keeping before killing herself. I guess she couldn't take a confined life as a human and would not let her daughter be slain.

"Shinaki was a part of your mother's family so I knew Kuroi would be safe and loved with her. I made sure to leave the baby somewhere that Shinaki would find her because I had a newborn son of my own to take care of back home. Inuyasha." Coming abreast of where Sesshomaru stood, he continued to look ahead. "Inuyasha and Kuroi are so close because they are brother and sister in spirit, having been born on the same day at almost the exact same time!"

"Kuroi is human, but she is more than that. No matter what else she is, you should not let that stop you from at least trying to care about her! No matter what else might have happened between you two since the start of this month, you should realize that your brother is not an obstacle to Kuroi's heart. Do you understand?"

For the first time since he'd stormed into the garden Yamatsu glanced down at his silent son, only to get stunned to his core.

Sesshomaru was crying. Except that the expression on his face was more akin torture. Mouth stretched wide in a silent cry, tears spilled down the pale face as Sesshomaru stared ahead with dead eyes. "…I…do…lo…her…" Chest heaving, a thin choking whine clawed it way out of his strained and tortured throat. Doubling over as though in terrible pain, he squeezed his eyes shut and smashed his head against the ground.

"Sesshomaru!!" Grabbing his son's shoulders, Yamatsu pulled with all his might, but even that couldn't budge the iron hard muscles locking the other to the ground. Puffs of dirt flew up as the young Lord continued to take deep gulping breaths.

"…"

"What?"

"**_SHE'S IN LOVE WITH INUYASHA_**!!!!!" the force of the backhand and the waves of enraged youki caught the older man completely off guard, sending him crashing back into the room. Stalking close behind, Sesshomaru flung open his closet door and smashed open a wooden box at the bottom. The stark rage in his son's face kept the old lord still even as he caught sight of the eerily familiar haori.

"She wants that bastard hanyou instead of me." came the sobbing rasp that built to a scream, "ME!! I'll kill them both with my bare hands!!"

Tearing apart his robes in his unthinking rage, Sesshomaru didn't notice the claw marks he made on his own skin as he struggled wildly out of his tattered clothing and into the voluminous robe. "Once they're dead, I'll be free of the both of them. Him with his filthy blood and her with the way she makes me **feel**!!" Leaping into the open air, he tossed back his head and howled into the night, "**I AM LORD SESSHOMARU**!!!"

Struggling to rise and stop his insane offspring, Lord Yamatsu collapsed and passed out.

Unaware of the fate seeking her, the young woman fought on, enraptured in the call of battle. Nimbly dodging a column of acidic poison, Kuroi laughed in delight and put her fist through an oni's head. In her mind, she sang a lilting ditty to herself.

There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook ook!

There's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook ook!

Monkey in the middle, monkey in the middle,

Yes there's a monkey in the middle of the room. Ook ook!'

A glancing whiplash from the tail of a centipede youkai caught her under the chin. Pain flashed bright across her range of vision, but she still managed to kick its head completely off its shoulders. "Love taps, huh? Well, tonight's the perfect night for it." Bracing her hands at her side, she tossed herself back into the fray thinking, 'Man this feels so good!'

Dancing delightedly down the hall, Jaken made his way to his master's room. Ah, it felt so good to fulfill a job for Lord Sesshomaru. All his Lord had to do was wait until the new moon just a week away and the girl's secret would be revealed before him. Laughing at his good fortune, the little toad was almost tempted to mention the imminent birth of the hanyou's pups as well. The memory of two ice blue fox eyes made him rethink that quickly. Nope, the girl's secret would suffice.

Opening the door before him, he shrieked as his eyes took in the massive destruction. Jaken reserved the wail that brought the rest of the household running towards him for the body of the Lord Yamatsu lying in a pool of blood on the floor.

Inuyasha cradled Kagome in his arms, completely at peace for what seemed to be the first time in his life. Rubbing a hand over the gentle dips of Kagome's stomach, he felt that same stupid grin pull at his lips. The tiny mewing sound the touch of his hand elicited just made it bigger. He'd heard Shippo leave earlier in the night, so the house was still and quiet. Closing his eyes, he let thoughts of the future and his new family pull him into a deep content slumber.

Then the night split with a scream.

Wiping the ichor off her arms, Kuroi froze as a cry pierced the night. "That sounds like the little toad.." Frowning in bemusement, she kicked aside a head and looked around for a likely tree. Jumping straight up in the air, she landed on a limb. 'The mansion is…that way.' Bounding through the woods just as Inuyasha had taught her, she ate up the distance between her and the source of that cry. Slipping over the wall, she took her usual route across the roof until she arrived back where she had started that night.

Overlooking the garden by Sesshomaru's room.

The garden was packed with servants and retainers wailing into their hands and the air. Sneering at the noise, Kuroi leapt down to assess the situation. The loudest shrieks pointed her in the right direct, as she heard Jaken say, "Lord Yamatsu!!"

Pushing the wall of bodies aside, she forced her way to the center of their attention. Laying on the floor was Lord Yamatsu. "Oh my god what happened?!" Kneeling beside the massive man, she felt for a pulse. Thready, but there. Whapping Jaken over the head to stop him from screaming in her ear, she turned her fierce gaze to the crowd milling about. "One of you fuckers go get a healer! The Lord's not dead yet!!"

She was about to say more when a hand grabbed hers. Old eyes filled with pain pleaded with her to be silent, "Listen little daughter." Coughing up an alarming amount of blood, his grip tightened unbelievably. "Find Sesshomaru. He's going to kill Inuyasha and Kagome. He's insane, absolutely insane." Straining to speak against his rapidly filling lungs, he managed to say, "He's in love…with you, but thinks you love…" finally succumbing to the pain, Yamatsu passed out again.

The healers came and bundled their Lord away on a stretcher, leaving Kuroi and Jaken alone in stunned silence. "He loves me?" saying it aloud caused her heart to beat joyously within her chest. Groaning as the rest of the Lord's words sank in, she cursed herself. 'That baka thinks I love Inuyasha!'

She rose to leave, "I've got to stop him."

"Poor pups. Now they'll never be born." The mournful statement made her freeze. Eye twitching, she turned in a flash and snatched up the little toad. "What did you say?!"

Weighing the memory of the kitsune with the very real threat before him, Jaken spilled it all. "Kagome is pregnant with twins and if master Sesshomaru has snapped as Lord Yamatsu fears, then the lot of them are doomed!" His last words met empty air, since Kuroi had left just after hearing, 'Kagome is pregnant.'

Sweating and heaving with a hand pressed against more than a few broken ribs, Inuyasha tried to figure out how tonight had gone so horribly fucking wrong. He'd been asleep, he'd been happy, so why in the hell was his brother in the yard laughing like a madman and dressed exactly like him?

"What the hell do you want Sesshomaru?" lips pulled back to expose lengthened fangs, he drew Tetsuaiga from it's sheath. The speed and ferocity of his brother's first attack had prevented him from doing more than dodge it and fling Kagome to safety. Praying she was all right, he focused on his cackling sibling.

"I tried so hard to do everything right." Pushing a hand slowly through his hair with one hand, Sesshomaru casually flung a wave of energy at his brother with the other. "I was such a good boy. The perfect future Lord. AND IT STILL WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH!!!"

Blocking the next massive wave with his blade, Inuyasha grunted as his abused ribs protested and stole away his breath. "What are you bitching about now fucker? At least you aren't a hanyou! Kaze no Kizu!"

Leaping wildly out of the way, Sesshomaru gave another mad chuckle. "Just a hanyou? Because of me little brother you are the strongest hanyou alive! Dokusou!!"

Pausing to gather Kagome out of the path of the sickly green mist, Inuyasha dropped her off a good distance away. "Run and hide. I'll try to distract him." Pushing her away before she could protest, he turned back to face his brother.

"You didn't make me anything Sesshomaru. I made myself!" Swinging to bring the full force of the Tetsuaiga to bear down on his brother, he was flung back easily. Golden eyes bled red as Sesshomaru's control slipped further away. Grabbing the front of his own white haori on one hand, he screamed out, "I fought you everyday for her, only for her! She wanted her son to be strong, stronger than any youkai he crossed so I fought you to give you that strength. I fought you so that some part of Ukiyo would still be alive!!" The next wave of energy knocked the already stunned hanyou through a line of trees.

Getting to his feet, Inuyasha gasped as a pain signaled more broken ribs. Sobbing reached his ears as his brother stumbled blindly in a circle. "I loved Ukiyo so much. She was a mother to me as much as you Inuyasha, so I made you stronger than you could ever hope to be. And how do you thank me?" Five beams of light speared the half-breed to a tree as the enraged youkai shrieked, "YOU MADE MY WIFE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU!!"

Inuyasha felt himself being lifted into the air through the glaring pain right before he was slammed mercilessly into the ground. "Wasn't Kagome enough? Hell, wasn't Kikyo enough?! You've had two perfect loves in you life you worthless bastard, SO WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TAKE MINE?!?!"

"Sesshomaru stop, please!" Kagome climbed awkwardly over a fallen tree. "Inuyasha loves her, but only like a sister."

"Don't toy with me bitch!" Light beams cast by the Kousen were flung out towards her. Throwing her arms across her waist, Kgome screamed just as there was a blinding flash. When it cleared, the beams were gone. Looking around for Inuyasha, she stared down at where he lay, unmoving on the ground.

All the way down.

'Why am I floating?' she wondered, even as something powerful pulsed deep within her. It made her gasp at the strength of it. She felt, almost as though she were cocooned in warm light. There was something in it with her. A frown settled between her eyes. No, not something. Someone. Two of them in fact.

Her arms wrapped unbidden around her waist and the sense of other grew. Her children. So tiny, so beautiful. She could envision them within her and knew the source of the glow was from them. 'They're going to be so powerful when they grow up, but they're so helpless right now.' That's what she felt running through the warmth like a chilled breeze. They were powerful, but afraid. Laying her hand over the soft pink glow in her abdomen, she felt something else. Need. 

'The babies need me?' At the thought of her children in danger the power flared more deeply and a calm settled over her. "Sesshomaru, I think it's time you left. You are sick and you are dangerous to all that I love." Envisioning a bow and arrow in her hands, Kagome wasn't surprised as they took shape with a white crackling brilliance. Her voice sounded distant to her ears as she stated, "I will not let you hurt them!" before letting it fly.

Cursing as she raced through the night, Kuroi prayed she was in time. 'Please don't let them be hurt because of my stupid, stupid lie! Please, I'll give you anything, just keep them safe a little longer.'

She stumbled a bit as she rounded a bend, but pushed her protesting legs harder. 'That tussle with those small fry took more out of me than I thought.' As her breath caught at the painful stitch started building in her side, she wept anew. 'No' she pleaded to her frazzled body, 'not now. Gods, just a little further.'

Almost sobbing with relief as the woods grew more familiar around her, she burst into the clearing just in time to take in the sight of a glowing Kagome shooting an arrow of light straight into Sesshomaru's heart.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"


	20. Week Four: ?

Week Four

Day ?????

Pain. Where was he again? It hurt so much to move. Someone, make it stop. Cool hands pressed against his face, bringing welcome relief. The pain returned when the hands moved away and he reached out blindly to find them again, but his limbs wouldn't respond.

Why couldn't he move? The hands returned, driving the pain away again. He sighed thankfully and slipped deeper into the welcome darkness.

Week Four

Day Three

Inuyasha was not happy. It had been two days since Sesshomaru's attack and Kagome's escalated miko-fueled response. After finally healing enough to move, he was still feeling confused. Sesshomaru trying to kill him was no new thing. Sesshomaru laughing like a fucking loon and proclaiming a secret love for both his human stepmother and half brother, was. The fact that he'd come bearing death wearing a haori that had practically reeked of the dead woman's perfume hadn't resolved a damned thing.

Just as his outlandish claims of Kuroi's undying love for the hanyou hadn't been exactly clarifying either. On whole, the entire situation had worked Inuyasha into a seriously pissed frame of mind. His bad mood wasn't helped in the slightest by the fact that the bastard in question was lying in his bed, out cold.

"Let me waste him." A fist connected with the back of his head for the grim suggestion. Kagome and Kuroi glared at him with twin looks of disgust. Squeezing a cloth out and laying it on Sesshomaru's forehead, his mate scolded him, "He's sick Inuyasha. Even you could tell he wasn't in his right mind when he came here. I know you guys don't get along, but he is your brother."

"Yeah, that's why I'll promise to make it quick." The next blow knocked him to the floor. "Don't touch him Inu." Tight with tears, Kuroi's voice made him pause. Stationed defensively between him and his brother, her blue eyes pleaded with him.

"Please, don't. I-I'm so sorry." She started to stand, but two days straight of tending to the magically induced wounds that had almost killed her intended caught up with her. Sitting back down heavily, she lifted her hands to cover her face. "Kudasai. Please Koinu, leave him be. It's my fault he's hurting. It's my fault he even came here."

"What do you mean Kuroi?" Kagome paused by the door on her way to get fresh water and bandages.

The girl turned to look down on the ashen figure covered in bruises and burns as she laughed bitterly. "I lied to him. I was so damned mad at him that I told him a stupid lie because of it."

She moved closer to the still form on the bed and laid a tender hand on his feverish skin. "I told him after he kissed me that I wished it was you instead Inuyasha. That I hated him for not being you." At the twin intakes of breath, she laid her head on Sesshomaru's shoulder. "I can't believe how stupid I am."

Her eyes begged for understanding from the silent couple she'd recklessly endangered. "I just wanted him to let go, just let go of that stupid leash he always has on his emotions." Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, "I wanted…I wanted to know if he really wanted me for me, and not because you and I were so close!" Sitting up, she curled her arms around her knees and cried helplessly at the mess she had caused.

"So I lied, and now he's going to die and it's all my fault!" She felt, more than saw the two position themselves beside her. There was no resistance as two sets of arms pulled her into a circle of comfort. Sobbing helplessly against Inuyasha's shoulder, she let Kagome's hands massage the tension from her shoulders and back.

Kagome brushed a strand out of the girl's tired eyes. "Kuroi, I think you should go to bed. You're exhausted and need the rest." Before a protest could arise, Inuyasha pushed her towards the bed beside his brother.

"Stay here with him. If I know you, you wouldn't sleep a wink if you're more than ten inches from him anyway." A hand silenced her words as he frowned down at her. "Look, we'll sort this out later, just go to sleep. Kagome and I will go to the mansion and check on dad. We'll be back in the morning."

Nodding, Kuroi settled down, mindful not to brush against the thickest sections of bandages. Satisfied that his orders were being carried out, Inuyasha pulled Kagome out of the room and headed for the front door.

Glaring at the bed again, he said softly, "We'll be back soon Cuckoo."

Something felt really good. Sighing and moving closer to the source brought a new wave of pleasure. The feeling only increased as she struggled through the layers of sleep shrouding her mind. 'I don't know what that is, but it's really nice.' she thought happily before slipping under again.

The rasp of a tongue against her rib snapped her wide awake. Her mind fought to process the flood of sensations her body insisted on barraging it with simultaneously. "Wha…?" a gasp was torn from her as the tongue trailed up to breasts. Somehow, she managed to look down at the one responsible for her state of exquisite torture.

A pair of warm yellow eyes stared right back. "Sesshomaru?"

The eyes crinkled as if smiling, and then winked out of existence.

"SESSHOMARU!!"

The scream echoed out the house and into the surrounding woods. Startled out of his sleep, Shippo tried to identify the source. A quick sniff of the air traced Inuyasha and Kagome heading towards the grandpa Yamatsu's home. 'Was that somebody else then? I'd better get Inuyasha.'

Swelling to his pink balloon shape, the little kitsune flew over the trees.

"I'm fine toad, now get out!" Lord Yamatsu sat on the edge of his bed shouting at anyone who came closer than a few feet. "Damn it, you quacks have kept me in this bed like an old man for the last two days. If the lot of you don't move, I'll show you why I'm called the DEMON Lord of the West!" healers and retainers alike scattered at the threat.

"Shit Kagome, you weren't kidding. He really does act like me."

Relief flooded the Lord's face as his youngest son and daughter walked into the room safe and sound.

"Thank the gods you're both all right." Holding out his arms, he hugged Kagome tightly when she came to him. Inuyasha just watched with a wry grin from the doorway.

"Hey old man." still cocky, but warmer than Yamatsu could ever remember it sounding.

He was about to ask where the rest of his family was, but Kagome filled him in on what had happened. While he was happy that there didn't seem to be too much damage to both sides, it disturbed him to hear about the energy arrow she had used to stop Sesshomaru.

"It was white you say?" When both of them nodded, he stood and headed out the door. "I've had a few encounters with miko in my life, but that one is rare, even for powerful ones." Opening the door to his study, Yamatsu made a pass of his hand to dispel the magical barrier to allow them inside. His tone was grim as he knelt by a locked chest, "Sesshomaru is still in danger of dying."

He was someplace cold and dark. There had been a light once, bright and brilliant as the sun but it had left him. It always left him. Now there was only the yawning emptiness before him. He sensed it extended well into forever, perhaps even beyond.

There were voices in it, promising him everything and anything if he would just come a little closer. One step, and he'd be free. Free of restrictions and pain. His heart's desires fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams. All for the price of one little step.

Tempted and more than a little relieved, Sesshomaru lifted his foot to go forwards into the promised bliss. 'One step to my hellish paradise.' Suddenly, the darkness withdrew like mist in the morning sun and he stood in beauty resplendent. Two figures approached him. As they came closer, the darkness lingering at the fringes departed for good.

"Mother? Ukiyo?" The two women he had loved more than his own life smiled at him sadly. Placing a hand on either sides of his face, they both mouthed the words 'We love you.' and pushed him back towards the light he'd almost left behind.

Shippo landed in the largest garden he could spot and raced through the first door he came to. It happened to be Jaken's room. Upon spotting the kitsune, the toad gave a shriek of fear and passed out.

"Baka" racing out the door, Shippo let his nose lead him to the two people he needed to find. Rounding a corner, he raced into a room and smacked into something incredibly solid. He rubbed his head furiously, "Move it dickhead, I've got to find Inu-baka." His nose alerted him to his mistake even as the hand yanked him up by the tail. "Inu what?"

Shit.

Time to weasel and weasel well. "Kitsune bi!"

With a yelp and a curse, Inuyasha flung him at the floor. Before the hanyou could get another hold on the cub, Shippo slipped into Kagome's arms and said quickly. "Somebody at the house is screaming!" From the way Inuyasha froze, that had been the right thing to say to avoid a nasty smack.

"Woman or man?" Lord Yamatsu held a small bag in his hand.

"Girl, definitely." Peering up at his mom, Shippo scrambled into the top of her kimono, happy to be back by his siblings.

Yamatsu tossed the bag to his son before pulling out a piece of parchment. "Hold tight to each other. Travel spells are sometimes rough." When Inuyasha had his arms wrapped securely around Kagome, the old Lord smiled warmly at them before tossing the paper. "Save your brother son. I love you both too much to lose either of you."

There was no time to reply before the world rushed by them in a whirl. When it settled, they were home. Inuyasha was too stunned to do more than grunt as Kagome said "Told you." Clutching the bag in his hand, he hurried through the door.

They found Kuroi sprawled across the bed half asleep and babbling incoherently. Kagome went and checked on Sesshomaru, noting how clammy he felt while Inuyasha tried to wake his sister from the grip of what seemed to be a nightmare.

"Oi! Sis wake up. Wake up."

"Whu? Inu?" trying to focus, she touched the source of her despair. "Oh no." Pushing her brother aside, she tried to rub some warmth back into the cold hands she held. "Sessy, you cannot do this to me. You can't die on me, not for something this stupid!"

Labored breathing was her only response. Her soul ached to its core watching him like that. He wasn't supposed to leave her, not yet and especially not like this. Still taxed past her limit, Kuroi curled up beside him and wept from sheer frustration. "I just wanted to know how you felt about me."

"You baka." Although gruff, waves of real concern flowed through Inuyasha's voice. "You could tell he felt something for you from the fact he didn't split you in half the first time you met." When Kagome blinked at him in bafflement, he huffed. "I may not like him a lot, but I do know a little of how he thinks."

More than a bit astounded at what seemed to be a rare jewel of knowledge, Kuroi and Kagome stared at the hanyou. "What? Sesshomaru is easy. If you interest him, he lets you live 'til he figures it out. If you bore him, he kills you." Fingering the cleaned and mended white haori folded by the head of the bed, he added thoughtfully, "I always thought he'd kill me one of these days. I never knew how he actually felt. About anything."

"If I told you idiot, you would have cried." the weak voice was uncharacteristic for its gentle chiding.

"Sesshomaru!" With a shout of relief, Kuroi launched herself to the side of her beloved and locked her mouth against his. Inuyasha made gagging motions behind her and got poked by Kagome in a sore rib for his antics. His hiss of pain brought a rusty, but delighted laugh from the bed. Sesshomaru struggled to sit up with Kuroi's help.

Once he was braced against the wall, he pulled her close and smiled warmly at his brother. "Hello Inuyasha. Hi Kagome. Thanks for helping me and I'm sorry for the way I behaved."

Scooting to the far side of the room with lightning speed, Inuyasha made motions to ward off evil. A shoe smacked him in the head. "Stop being stupid idiot." Kagome turned a bright smile back to the pair on the bed. "Are you feeling a little better Sesshomaru? We weren't sure what I hit you with exactly, so we didn't know how hurt you might be." she laughed a bit self consciously and scratched the back of her head.

The smile he gave her took her breath away for a moment. Sweet and just a bit shy, it was miles away from the cold sneer she was used to. 'Whoa, he really is different.'

"I'm fine Kagome. I hope you're all right."

"Uh, no problem Sesshomaru, as long as nobody's too badly hurt." a grumble from behind sounded suspiciously like 'in a pig's eye'. She was about to snap back about being rude, when the most delightful laugh caught her by surprise.

Eyes twinkling merrily, Sesshomaru absently stroked the bandages across his chest and stomach. "I always thought you were funny little brother, I just never told you." sighing, he rested his head against the wall. "I never said anything to anyone because of Ukiyo."

Immediately interested, Inuyasha crept forward, ears focused to catch every word. Looking at the ceiling, Sesshomaru marveled at just how easy it was to start. Why should he care what other's thought of him now? He had faced death and found love waiting for him on both sides.

"I remember the day my mother died, how it felt when father told me. When he brought Ukiyo home a hundred years later, it almost felt like a betrayal of her memory. I was so stupid. Ukiyo was the kindest woman I'd ever met. As much a mother to me as my own had been. In fact, she made that haori and gave it to me on your fourth birthday." Sighing sadly, he looked at his brother and whispered, "I still miss her too."

"If I didn't want to hear this, I'd leave because it's getting fucking weird in here." wrapping his arms protectively around Kagome, Inuyasha took a seat against the wall opposite the bed.

"It's not weird Inu, it's him." Everyone turned to look at Kuroi as she gazed adoringly up at Sesshomaru. "It's actually just him." She laid a hand against his cheek with a watery smile. "I've been watching him this whole time and this is who I saw beneath everything else." her eyes drank in every detail of his face. "You are who I want Sesshomaru. You have been since that horrible dinner party where I killed part of the family."

"Shit, I still can't believe I missed that!" Looking extremely put out, Kagome giggled when Inuyasha almost pouted with disappointment. "I have got to start coming around the house more."

Sesshomaru gave another delighted laugh, that ended in a gasp of pain. He slid down flat on the bed and Kuroi grabbed him frantically as he started bleeding through the bandages again.

"Kagome, please go to the mansion with Inuyasha and ask Lord Yamatsu for the bag I gave him." At their mutual looks of hesitation, she pressed harder against the wounds. "Please, he'll know what I need. This isn't going to heal the normal way because your magic is trying to block his youki." As his body shook violently beneath her fingers, she pressed harder. "Please!"

"Don't sweat it sis. Dad already gave it to us. He said you might need it." Inuyasha tossed her the small leather bag. As she struggled to open it, he scooted closer. "What is it anyway?"

Holding aloft a tiny stoppered bottle nestled in feather down, she beamed triumphantly. "Mom's thousand year white peach elixir!" Pulling out the cork, she held it gingerly over Sesshomaru's mouth. Before tipping it out, she looked at them with apprehension all over her face.

"Step back."

As the viscous liquid slid out the bottle and between the unconscious man's lips, they held a collective breath.

Nothing happened.

With a 'feh' Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Step back my ass."

The pulse of youki aura knocked all of them flat.

Dusting himself off, Inuyasha smiled drunkenly. He felt better than he ever had in his life! Looking around, he saw Kagome sitting up with a slightly dazed look and asked, "What hit us?"

"Thousand year old white peach elixir." Kuroi called out as she shook her head to clear it of the pleasant buzz. "Mom said it had a kick, but would restore energy to youkai no matter what." A huge blush touched her cheeks. "She thought we'd need it on our honeymoon."

When the couple raised an eyebrow at her, she flushed hotly. "How the fuck do you think I got twenty brothers and sisters?!" Still blushing, she smoothed the hem of her robe in embarrassment. "Mom just wanted to make sure we didn't get tired."

"I think I could handle you on my own reserves little flower." Sitting up with ease, Sesshomaru pulled her towards him and kissed her thoroughly.

Scenting the arousal building in the air, Inuyasha stood up quickly to leave and called out, "We'll be back tomorrow." before grabbing Kagome's hand. About to leave, Inuyasha paused at the door and gave a cocky grin to his brother and friend. "Don't die dickhead. You'll make Kuroi a widow before a wife."

The hanyou laughed at the reply he got. "I'll still watch over you and your kids even then little brother."

Shippo peaked into the room after the two of them left. He couldn't believe Sesshomaru had actually been laughing. Cracking jokes even! When he saw a familiar look pass between the two still in the room, he rolled his eyes and scooted out the door to head for his campsite.

"Forget the hanyou," he grumbled as he went, "at least Inu-baka would wait until he was fully healed."


	21. Present

Present

"Welcome everyone, and thank you very much for joining us." Raising his glass to the room, Sesshomaru gave them all a bright smile. Turning to his bride, his gaze turned more intimate. "We would both like to thank you for coming."

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered the happy couple. A tinkling sound quieted the room as Inuyasha stood. "I'd like to give a toast." As she laid a hand over the still flat hollow beneath her breasts, Kagome prayed silently as he spoke. "To Kuroi. Thanks to you, I not only have a sister for real, but now I have a brother as well."

'Oh my God,' she thought as she raised her glass to the toast. 'He actually made that sound sweet.' Kagome rewarded him with a kiss on the cheek where he gave her a cocky grin as if to say the kiss had been his goal all along.

Lord Yamatsu stood and raised his glass as well, "To both of my sons, I wish you well in your future endeavors." as the polite clapping started, he added, "Now get done with them so I can get some grandkids." Good natured laughter and a few thumbs up in Inuyasha's direction had the hanyou flashing his signature smirk while Kagome hung her head to hide her red face.

Before he sat down though, Yamatsu made another announcement. "As you know, in two weeks Inuyasha and Kagome will be joined together as well. However, two weeks following that, I would like you all to come to another wedding." Startled and curious murmurs arose around the room. "Calm down, calm down. The lucky couple will be myself and the future Lady Shinaki."

Stunned silence quickly broke into chorus of congratulations. Laughing at the lull, Yamatsu smiled down at his gray-haired future bride. "Well, I always wanted a large family and Shinaki and I have known each other for about four hundred years or so. When you think about it, we're long overdue."

Lady Shinaki stood up beside him and held out a familiar small bottle. Thousand year white peach elixir. With a secretive smile, she proceeded to drink it before the assembled guests. Braced for the pulse they remembered, Kagome, Inuyasha and Kuroi could only gape when it didn't come.

Instead, the gray hair darkened to a silky black while the aged skin smoothed to a pale but distinct blue. The smile she flashed was dazzling, just as she had become. "I know you're all a bit undone, but I haven't used this elixir since my husband died two hundred and seventy years ago." Lacing her hand with her future husband's, she looked at him tenderly, "But I think the time is appropriate now."

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha wore twin expressions of complete disbelief. Seeing it, Kuroi and Kagome shared a laugh between themselves.

As the party wound down, the newlyweds were soon left with only Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Lord Yamatsu and the future Lady Shinaki for company. Together, the group shared a companionable atmosphere as the evening descended. Kagome watched with curiosity as Kuroi continuously snuck glances at the deepening sky outside.

'What's wrong with her?' Tapping Inuyasha's arm, she pointed to get his attention. Spotting his new sister's obvious agitation, he went over to where she had tried to hide herself in a corner of the room. 

"Oi sis. What the hell are you doing hiding on your wedding day?" he crouched down to get a better look at her face. She didn't look too well.

"Inu, it's the new moon. I'm not sure I should stay…" Tear bright eyes looked at him and then flickered over to where his brother stood chatting with Miroku. "What if he doesn't like it?"

"Gods, you are a baka. First of all, it's your wedding night, so I think he'll notice if you run off. Secondly, the fucking man turns into a giant three tailed dog, what do you have to worry about?" Taking her by the hand, he pulled her into the center of the room. When she started to resist, he wrapped his arms around her and whispered as he held her close to him, "Look sis. We'll do this together just like we've done before. So don't be scared, okay?" He pulled back as she nodded, but held onto her hands.

"Sesshomaru!" bright yellow eyes turned and frowned at the pair in the middle of the room. Inuyasha looked back levelly. "Sesshomaru, don't you say one word until it's over. Just trust us." His eyes slid to Kagome, "You too woman."

Turning back to face his shivering little sister, Inuyasha cupped her face. "Ready?" With a last fearful glance at her new husband, she took a deep breath, focused on Inuyasha and nodded. He took her hands in his again and watched her as they waited in silence.

Behind them, the night fell complete and the change began.

For everyone there, the transformation of the hanyou to his human state was nothing new. It was the bride's change of form that caught their attention.

Beneath her veil, the cascade of inky black hair lightened until it was as bright as polished silver while the hands clutching tightly to Inuyasha's suddenly became tipped with small but razor sharp claws. When she gasped at the emergence of a full thick tail of the same mirror bright shade, tiny fangs could be seen inside of her mouth. Collapsing against her brother, Kuroi looked up at her husband with uncertainty in her crimson eyes. Pointed tips appeared on her ears as they elongated a bit, but stayed on the sides of her face. The most dramatic change was when her skin paled even further to a shade that was almost milk white.

When Inuyasha's change finished, hers did as well. Pulling her up back onto her feet, Inuyasha walked with her towards his brother. "Kuroi, this is my pretty boy brother Sesshomaru. Also known as the Aristocratic Assassin. Sesshomaru, I'd like you to meet Kuroi Hana. The Black Flower with the silver petals." passing her hand off to her husband, Inuyasha gave her a quick peck on the cheek and went over to Kagome.

Still unwilling to look up from the floor, Kuroi tried to shrink further into her wedding dress to hide herself. Gentle fingers pulled her chin up, forcing her to look into Sesshomaru's face. The smile he gave her before he kissed her made her dizzy with relief, and he murmured against her mouth words she would remember for the rest of their lives together.

"You are still beautiful to me little flower. No matter how you bloom."

THE END


	22. Heeheeheehee

A/N: The last two chapters may have felt a bit rushed, but hey. A near death experience can do that to you. For the Koinu fans who had a problem with Sesshomaru calling Kagome a bitch in the first chapter, he's a DOG youkai. What else would a female be? (I'm a girl, so I take no offense.)

To the Kouga fans, I swear to GOD, the next fic, which is a sequel will have Kouga IN IT! In fact, he's kind of the star of the show. Thank you for reading this long piece of fanlove and please leave reviews. I need the criticism.

DOMO ARIGATO!!!!

P.S. The sequel is "Invitations To Trouble".


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